


Ten Thousand Skies Above You

by latinagbt



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn, alternative universes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 18:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 63,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15779214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latinagbt/pseuds/latinagbt
Summary: When Regina told them she wanted to make the separation of the Evil Queen and herself final by sending her former evil counterpart to another dimension, Emma and Henry wanted to make sure she knew they supported her. They really did. But when everything Emma thought could go wrong, did go wrong, and pieces of Regina’s soul were scattered in different dimensions as a result, Emma found herself realm travelling to save her child’s other mother, and former best friend. Only, fate has a bizarre way of revealing itself and, in order to bring Regina back, Emma will have to face the truth she had been running from for so long.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired/based on the book Ten Thousand Skies Above You, but only for the premise of the story. It does not follow the same story as the book, and obviously not the same as Once. 
> 
> I really hope you guys like it, but keep in mind this is my first fanfiction. AND English is not my first language, and even though I had an amazing beta reader, you might still find mistakes here and there. I'm really sorry for that.
> 
> I also wanted to point out that the realm travelling in the fic doesn't work the same way it does on the show. I think it is explained pretty well in the story, though.

“Hey, kid. What are you doing out here?” When Regina called her and told her to find Henry, she expected the kid to be somewhere like the author’s house, or even the library, trying to find answers, not sitting all by himself by Storybrooke’s bay looking like he was questioning his life choices. He kicked the rock he had by his foot and watched as it plopped in the water, not once glancing at Emma. “You okay? You look kind of… _not_ okay.”

Henry moved to make space for Emma on the bench, and didn’t even try to make it convincing when he said: “Yeah, I am, don’t worry.”

“Henry…” As soft as she could, Emma took his face with her hand and made him look at her. “Tell me what’s up, I won’t snitch.” When Henry looked at her with a sceptical glare, Emma rolled her eyes. “You know your mom is going to find out one way or another. She asked me to check on you, so she’ll be expecting answers.”

Henry nodded and looked away. Emma waited, giving him the time he might need to open up, but when it became clear he wasn’t going talk, a sigh escaped her lips.

“Come on, you’re seriously not going to tell me?”

Henry looked back at her, the debate of whether or not he should tell her clear in his eyes and the way he furrowed his eyebrows.

Emma nudged him softly. “Okay, I promise not to tell Regina. But tell _me_ then, because I’m starting to worry as well.”

Throwing his head back, Henry exhaled dramatically and looked at her suspiciously. “Fine. But mom really can’t know. I don’t want her to think I don’t support her on this.” Emma nodded and raised her hands in surrender, to let him know she understood the terms of his confession. “I know that’s what mom wants and I’m happy for mom. I really am. She seems to want this, and I get why. But… do you really think this is the right decision?”

“What do you mean?”

“Mom… being sent away. I mean,” he sighed “I just don’t know if it’s really a good idea to separate mom and The Queen.” _Oh_. And Emma didn’t even need to pretend she understood his struggle this time, because she was guilty of those exact same thoughts. “I think it’s great that The Evil Queen situation is resolved and that mom’s evil half won’t be causing trouble anymore, you know? I’m happy that she somehow found some peace. But she is mom’s evil _half_. If she leaves…”

“It’ll be half of Regina leaving us.” Emma continued where Henry trailed off, familiar with the uneasiness that thought could create.

She looked at her kid, so grown up, yet still so much like the little boy that came knocking on her door five years prior, and wrapped her arm around Henry in an attempt to make him feel better. Of course he would be worrying about Regina… it was their thing. Regina always being the overprotective mother she was born to be, and Henry very much aware he was Regina’s everything and only family left to care for her, so he, too, assumed his role very seriously. Sometimes all Emma wanted was to wrap them both in a hug and remind them it wasn’t just them anymore, remind them she was there to stay and be there for them from now on.

“Exactly. Everyone says it’s for the best, but is it really? I know I used to hate the idea of mom being a villain, but mostly because I couldn’t understand that she isn’t one anymore. She has been trying to become someone better and she _has_. I understand that now, why does she have to do this? And I know how much she hates having to live with what she’s done, or with those evil impulses she sometimes gets when she’s mad, but it’s part of what makes her who she is, right?” When he finally looked at her, she couldn’t help but smile empathetically at her son. “I hate how we’re losing half of her. It’s part of who she is, for better or for worse. She was really getting better at controlling herself, at becoming a better person despite the evil side. I couldn’t understand that when I was younger, but now I do. And I don’t– I just don’t think sending her away is right.”

All Emma could do was nod and lay her head on top of his, not knowing what to say in a situation like this. She felt like she should try to reason with the kid, maybe talk him into jumping on the ‘let’s send The Evil Queen somewhere else so she can get her happy beginning’ wagon. It seemed like the right thing to do, since it was Regina’s wish. But how could Emma do that when she shared those doubts and couldn’t get herself to accept the departure of the infamous Queen either. She wanted to be the bigger person in this situation and tell Henry they had to accept it and leave it for Regina’s sake. It was her decision after all, and she seemed to want the peace of mind it’d bring her. That had kept Emma quiet these last few days, respecting Regina’s choice, and also the unshakable feeling she was being selfish by wanting to keep the entirety of Regina here with them. But now she knew Henry felt the exact same way, and he felt just as bad about it. So she sighed again and brushed his hair with her hand.

“I know, kid...Trust me. I know.” She smiled at him when he met her eyes again. “I don’t want her to go either, but is what your mom wants. And we want her to be happy, don’t we?” Henry nodded. “But I understand. I feel like I’m losing part of her too. And I don’t like it either.”

He smiled back at her, probably relieved now that he knew he wasn’t the only one to think that.

Emma gave up on the idea of talking Henry out of it, just accepting the shared feeling of discomfort the idea of losing half of Regina brought on them. Henry smiled at how she didn’t even say ‘we’, but ‘I’, as it often happened lately without her even realizing.

He sighed. “So I guess we go back there and support her?”

“Yeah, kid, I think that’s the right thing to do.”

“But what if she regrets it later? Don’t you think she will?”

_Jesus kid_.

“Henry, I really think you should talk to her.” She decided to play it safe and tell Henry what she thought Regina would want her to say in a case like this. “I know you don’t want her to think you don’t trust her, but she would want to know how you feel. Besides, you have valid questions and she is more likely to have the answers you’re looking for than I am.” Which was true, she wasn’t really chickening out. What could Emma say about it, when in reality, she had been asking herself the same questions?

The growing malaise in her chest made it hard to think objectively, but Emma was pretty sure that was the right answer. Making Regina feel included was never a poor choice. She deserved to know if her kid was worried. The Evil Queen was a big part of Regina, after all. A part that, despite everything, Emma had grown to like. The Queen had character, she had to admit that. Having her in Storybrooke really gave Emma a glimpse of what Regina used to be, and frankly, all Emma wanted lately was to get to know everything she could, every little detail, about her son’s other mother.

“I know, I know. I just don’t know _how_ to.”

“Tell her what you just told me, I’m sure she’ll understand. And you know she’ll be happy you talked to her about it. She’d appreciate it more than having you worry in silence, even if you think that’s the right thing to do.” Henry sighed and nodded, knowing very well that was the case. “Come on,” Emma bounced off the bench and pulled her son by his arm. “Let’s go talk to your mother.”

The Evil Queen would be gone soon and if Henry wanted to voice his concern to Regina, it was now or never.

Emma put her arm around her son’s shoulder once he was up and her heart sunk a little more at the thought of him getting taller everytime she did this. He would soon become too tall for her to do it and Emma didn’t know if it was pride or nostalgia that took over her at the thought of him becoming a man. At least he was still small enough, for now.

 

Emma was half expecting for Regina’s next call to be her telling Emma the change of plans. She hated herself for it, but she couldn’t stop herself from checking her phone every few minutes, fearing she was going to miss a call, or a text, or any kind of message Regina might’ve left her. And worst of all, Emma found herself rooting for Henry to change Regina’s mind. Which infuriated her because she had promised herself she’d let Regina be. She deserved to take that decision knowing she had their full support.

She figured the kid telling Regina his concerns was more acceptable than Emma meddling in her decision. She would never admit it to herself, but she encouraged Henry talk to her, partly as a last, hidden hope. Emma didn’t allow letting herself go there, to admit she was doubting Regina. And so doing it now frustrated Emma. She had assumed the ‘support no matter what’ position in Regina’s and Henry’s life, she couldn’t chicken out _now_. And yet, she was glued to her phone, eager to hear from Regina, and starting to think the kid had chickened out by the time the night came around.

When the brunette finally called, Emma had to let the phone ring a couple of times before picking it up to make sure the hours of impatiently waiting wouldn’t show through.

“Hey there,” the blonde beamed.

“Hey, you.”

Emma’s heart got remarkably lighter when she heard the low chuckle at the other end of the line.“What’s up?”

“Emma, I swear even our teenage son speaks more properly than you do when you pick up that phone.” Emma could _hear_ Regina rolling her eyes when she said it, and could so easily picture the smirk that probably accompanied it all. “I just wanted to thank you for talking to Henry. I know he was having a hard time with this whole Queen situation, and talking to you always helps him. So thank you.”

“You know you don’t have to thank me, I’m always here for you guys.”

Something Emma could only describe as pride grew in her chest when she heard Regina lightly chuckle again. “Yeah, I know.” It made Emma feel like she had done something good with her day when Regina’s voice got soft just like it had in that moment.

Emma had come to realise that it was pure happiness, taking over her every time it happened. Only in late night calls, or Saturday family dinners, did Regina allow herself to be that carefree and… _soft_. Only when Regina’s entire world seemed to be Emma and Henry. Emma had grown to know that soft tone as something to look forward to every week, in the hour or two they had for themselves. She had to admit she loved seeing that side of Regina, and cherished every second of the attention she got from the brunette. That meant that, lately, Emma had a lot of cherished moments to make her feel warm inside. She was convinced Regina knew that by now, and that’s why she had been welcoming the blonde with a warm smile and that look Emma had only ever seen her show Henry.

But she didn’t allow herself to think about it too much, or think about the way Regina’s laugh, even if it was just a light chuckle, made Emma’s heart as light as a feather, or how those same chuckles made Emma smile like a moron in the middle of the night, when she should be sleeping but would honestly rather give Regina that time of the day (or night?). Or how Emma’s days just aren’t complete without it lately. She didn’t allow her mind to go there too often, only when she felt the need to remind herself of the beautiful thing she had found in this crazy town that never failed to make her question her sanity. Only when it’s dark, when she knows the night will take those thoughts away and the sun will do the hard task of bringing her back to reality for her. In real life, they don’t do that. They don’t go there, they don’t think about the way each other’s laugh makes their day better, or how she swears Regina has a look for just Henry and her, or how Emma would give everything up in a second for the little family they’ve created, and for Regina’s happiness. They don’t go there, and Emma is not about to ruin the friendship they’ve fought so hard for, so she leaves those thoughts locked away in the night.

“So, what did he say?” Emma brought herself to reality, feeling the sweat starting to form under her hoodie, even if she was freezing just some minutes ago.

“Oh, not that much. He wanted to make sure I knew he supports me, and he told me he had been having a hard time wrapping his head around the idea of the Queen not being around anymore. But he supported my decision.” _Oh_.

“That’s it?”

“Yeah… that’s it. Why?”

If Henry didn’t tell her, she didn’t want to be the one to tell Regina they were doubting her decision, so Emma tried to come up with something before Regina could start worrying and she was forced to admit it. Because Regina could and would _totally_ get the truth out of Emma. And it probably wouldn’t even be that hard.

“Oh, nothing. I thought you guys were going to have a long talk, since he didn’t share much with me either.”

“Well, you know Henry, he doesn’t share much with us anymore. He’s too _grown up_ for that.” They both laughed at that, because it did sound like him, rolling his eyes when they got lipstick on his cheek, and hurrying to school before his mothers got too loving in front of his classmates.

“So… tomorrow is still happening?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?” Her voice seemed so hopeful, Emma had to close her eyes and sigh to stop herself from answering the question. Because she didn’t know either, and in moments like this she would be the one going to Regina for the answer, not the other way around. Emma felt like she ought it to Regina to be honest about her doubts, but she had seemed so sure of herself before, that Emma truly didn’t know if talking her out of it now would be a good idea. Maybe this was just stage fright, after all, it was a hard decision to make. If Henry had kept quiet, he probably had a good reason. “I think... I think It’ll finally bring some closure, you know? Henry won’t have to worry about me ‘turning evil’ anymore, and I’ll get to…” Regina sighed and Emma knew what was coming, the true reason why she didn’t have the heart to talk her out of it, “I’ll get some peace of mind.”

Emma shook her head, and decided this conversation would’ve been better face to face after all. “You know, Henry understands you’ve changed now. He loves you, the good and the bad, he was just a kid when he said all those things. A kid that was afraid and confused. He knows you won’t be going back to that ever again.” She said softly, because reminders like this never felt like too much when it came to Regina.

“I know, I know. I guess I’m doing it in part out of fear. I- I don’t trust myself with that sometimes, you know? I’ve thought about it a lot. And I know you believe otherwise, but the truth is, I _know_ that going back to that place of pure anger is always a possibility. I’ve been there once, I can go back. I- I truly think this is what’s best. Nobody knows how hard it is to have to live with it every day. I would never tell Henry that, but you have no idea how much of me it took to not fall into that pit of anger again when Pan’s curse hit. That year was terrible, Emma. And it wasn’t that long ago. That anger, that _evil_ still follows me. What if it happens again?” Emma’s favourite, and least favourite thing about Regina was how her voice could tell _so much_ of what was going on in her mind. Right now, Emma didn’t even have to imagine what she was telling her to feel her heart clench for the brunette. “I do worry about what it’ll become of me after she’s gone. It’s been with me for so long I don’t even remember what it was like to live without that anger, or who I was before that. But I have the opportunity now to get rid of it and not scare Henry away ever again, I can’t miss it.”

“Regina… that was over five years ago. You know it’s different now. He understands. We understand.” Regina sighed, and the heavy silence that followed told Emma all she needed to know. “So you’re following through with the plan?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“You know I support your choice, whichever it is, as well, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” The voice so charged with emotions seemed a little lighter now that Regina let all those things out. “And thank you for that. I don’t think I could do it without you there for me.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?” The blonde joked.

“I guess so.” They fell back into a comfortable silence, until Regina sighed again. “Well, I guess I better go to bed. Big day tomorrow. Thank you again, Emma.”

“No problem. Good night, Gina.”

She hung up and immediately understood why Henry had decided to kept quiet. How could they stand in the way of her happiness?

 

Almost everyone in Storybrooke was there when it happened. Snow and David were somewhere close to Emma, offering support while she felt absolutely helpless. Regina, in the middle of the crowd that had formed, kissed Henry on the forehead and cupped his cheeks as she whispered what had to be words of reassurance. Henry nodded and placed his own hand over Regina’s, looking just like he had a couple of years ago, when Pan’s curse hit and he had been a scared little boy wanting to hear that everything was going to be okay, even if it probably wasn’t.

They let go, and Emma could still see the anguish in Henry’s eyes as he watched Regina walk away towards her sister and other half. Her heart ached for him, and when Henry spotted her in the crowd, she gestured for him to join her. Regina had insisted she stayed back with Henry, while she and Zelena made the complicated magic happen.

It took everything in Emma not to go there and try to do _something_ , help with anything, just make sure Regina was okay. But she knew she wasn’t much help, not knowing how to do what they were about to do, Emma had to stay at the back and watch it all happen. She was getting stressed by the minute because surely so many things could go wrong. They had been _warned_. And, yeah, maybe Gold is not the most optimistic person in this town, but he knew a thing or two about magic, so if he warned them that must’ve meant something.

Emma clenched and unclenched her hands, shifter her weight between her feet, trying to distract herself from the stress of the moment. She was putting all of her energy on thinking about _anything_ but the ever consuming thought of ‘something could go really, really wrong and Regina could not make it’. So when the annoying little giggle she had grown to hate so much made its way to her, Emma was startled.

“I see you decided to go through with it after all?”

“What are you doing here, Gold. Thought you said you had better things to do.” She groaned without even gracing him with a glare.

“That was when I thought she wasn’t actually going to do it, but now that she’s decided to, can’t miss Regina walking right into a death trap.”

“She’s going to be fine.” She really, really wished she trusted the words coming out of her mouth, because at this point she knew all they were doing was defend Regina’s honour and not alleviate Emma’s anxiety one bit.

“Is she, really? Because I remember something about only one person in history succeeding. Our dearest Mayor hasn’t even tried it once.”

“She will be _fine_.”

“You don’t sound too sure of yourself, Sheriff.” Emma finally looked at Gold, addressing him with a glare that offered nothing but unfriendliness. “Oh, now dearie. Don’t look at me like that! You’re a smart woman. You can’t possibly believe this is going to end well, can you?” Emma didn’t answer, instead turning her attention back on the two sisters now in the middle of the crowd.

The Evil Queen and Regina did not look all that much alike. Which was crazy because they were literal _clones_. And yet, Emma could still tell the difference, even if The Evil Queen dressed in the formal, Storybrooke clothes Regina had once wore as the Mayor.

For one, Regina’s expression had softened, so slowly through the years that Emma only noticed the true difference when The Evil Queen came along. She reminded her so much of the brunette when Emma first arrived to Storybrooke, Emma sometimes wanted to keep out of her way just because of how easily the Queen seemed to reignite Emma’s memories from that time.She was everything Emma had imagined Regina to be back in the Enchanted Forest. And she seemed to always be looking for the threat in the room, eyes focused on every movement, eyebrows knit together most of the time, lips pressed in a thin line, jaw clenched, and chin high to show she was in control of the situation. The walls Regina had built for herself were only a shadow on the Mayor’s face, compared to how obviously apprehensive The Queen was. Never had Emma seen the Queen smile. And her eyes softened only when Henry was around, the love for the boy truly transcending any damage her heart still hold from those dark times in the old land. Still, while Regina was at her most carefree around the boy, The Queen seemed scared, always hesitating, smile always held back by fear. And Emma understood. If The Queen truly held Regina’s the darkest parts, her darkest thoughts, then she probably had the same fear of scaring away her son with the darkness that shadowed over her Regina had felt when they had first met. The fierce Mayor would’ve never admitted it to Emma, but when the boy decided to move with the Charmings, Regina couldn’t pretend any longer she wasn’t completely breaking inside. Everyone knew, even if Regina still walked around town with her back straight and chin high in defiance, that she had lost everything. She had scared away her whole world. The fear, the _pain_ , she saw in the Queen’s eyes took Emma back to those first years in Storybrooke, and not for the first time, she had true pity for Regina’s ‘evil’ half.

Emma sighed, hoping The Queen finally got her happiness wherever she was going. She hoped Regina would too. And above all, she hoped they would make it alive. She had never seen anyone separate themselves in two and still be alive, let alone _exist_ in two realms at the same time. And yet, here she was, watching Regina and the Queen getting ready to be separated permanently. The brunette looked at her one last time and smiled, not really the smile that made Emma’s day better, but it was a promising smile, something to calm Emma’s visible nerves. And it worked. She smiled back and exhaled, unclenching her muscles just a bit. With one last glance at each other, the brunette nodded, her way of telling Emma she got this. Emma really hoped that was the case.

With Regina’s exhale, the crowd fell silent. Zelena and the two brunettes looked at each other, nodded and closed their eye. Regina was the first one to use her magic. A red glow grew between her hands as she focused on whatever was going through her mind. Then, her other half did the same, her magic a darker shade of red than her counterpart. Finally Zelena joined, magic as green as she had once been. Getting their magic together. Emma wasn’t even sure who they were aiming at, but soon the glow started to grow, slowly wrapping both Regina and the Queen.

Were they supposed to open a portal? Regina had explained it to her, but Emma still didn’t quite understand. They had to permanently separate themselves before sending the Queen, or else Regina would follow her… Was it a normal portal? Did it hurt? How exactly did they know how to do that if they had never tried it? How could she had forgotten to ask Regina those questions? She was so worried and yet she managed not to ask the most important questions. How could Emma hav-

The magic grew bigger, until a white bright glow made the crowd step even further away. Emma inhaled sharply, hoping with all her might Regina knew what she was doing. Her hands grew cold, and so did Henry’s as they held hands. It had probably only been a few seconds. It logically couldn’t take that long. No one could hold magic for hours at a time, and yet Emma felt each of those seconds pass like they were ten hours each. The light was always as bright, not really revealing what was happening inside and that was driving Emma nuts. She waited for Regina to resurface, a smile on her face, telling Emma with a sassy eye roll that she had worried over nothing.

Zelena stopped, and Emma glanced at her with curiosity. Was it done?

Zelena knit her eyebrows together and scanned the now red glow in front of her. Emma couldn’t tell if it was concentration or doubt, but she felt the panic rise anyways. She didn’t realized she was walking towards Zelena until Henry called her name, somewhere behind her. Zelena looked worried, Emma decided on her way. The witch didn’t exactly have a wide range of emotions, but if the lines on her forehead and panicked eyes were anything to go by, something was wrong.

“Zelena!” She shouted before she even reached her. There was no time to get all the way there. They weren’t that far away, and Emma was already sprinting across the empty space the crowd had left for the event, but Emma couldn’t seem to get there fast enough.

Just as she was approaching Zelena, a blinding glow flew over everyone watching and pushed Emma back. A warm feeling enveloped her the second the red light reached her, panic rising from the pitch of her stomach in response. Losing her balance, Emma had no choice but to crouch and protect her eyes with her hands. One beat. Two beats. Three, four, five. Everyone grew silent. The warmth was gone, the sun was already bright enough as the morning turned into afternoon, but Emma had to take a few seconds to recover after the much stronger red light hit her eyes.

_Red_ light.

Emma looked up and saw everyone else starting to move, making sure they weren’t hurt, checking on their neighbor. She pushed herself from the ground as one thought took over her with so much strength her heart skipped a beat, and then two and three and probably many more until she laid eyes on Regina. And then her heart went all the way up her throat at the sight of the brunette laying on the floor, eyes closed and ‘evil’ half nowhere to be found.


	2. Chapter 2

“Regina!” Emma was sprinting again before she could think twice. She kneeled next to Regina and for a terrifying second thought she was not going to find a pulse when she reached for her neck. But she did. Regina was alive. “Somebody call Whale! Now!” 

Emma stayed by Regina, waiting for Whale to show up. People were starting to approach, curious. She heard Henry yelling before she saw him approach Regina, face completely red revealing the panic he was probably feeling. “Mom! Mom! What happened? Ma, is she okay?” His eyes were frantic when he looked back at Emma for an answer. 

“I- I don’t know, kid.” She would’ve said yes, but he was not a little kid anymore. And he could see Regina laying, seemingly lifeless, on the floor. 

A second later Whale arrived, looking for vital signs in Regina. He looked for her pulse, and try to see if she would react when being called, to light, to pain, but the brunette didn’t seem to respond. “Well, she’s alive. And I don’t see any physical damages…” Emma exhaled with relief, but that relief didn’t last long. “But she’s not responding. I think… I think she’s in a coma.” He looked at Emma and she felt her chest compress her lungs so hard she was breathing heavily soon after. It hurt. Her heart physically  _ hurt  _ when she heard those words, and all of a sudden her leather jacket was too heavy on her shoulders, too warm for that morning. “A magically induced coma, at that.”

Snow gasped from somewhere behind Emma, somewhere Emma didn’t even bother to look at because the mere act of staying on her knees next to Regina seemed like so much of an effort when all of her energy was focused on trying to keep breathing. Her chest felt heavy, her arms felt heavy, her eyes felt so pressured by the tears that had yet to fall. She was sweating and freezing all at the same time, and felt the world around her become nothing but a blur. “A sleeping curse?”

“I doubt it’s a curse. There’s other ways to end up in a magically induced coma. Unless The Evil Queen did something.”

“Oh my god.” Snow breathed out.

“Will she be okay?” Zelena choked up for the first time in a while.

“I… I truly don’t know. She’s physically okay, but god knows what happened to get her here.”

“Do you think  _ she _ did?” Emma’s voice was restricted by the ever growing pressure of her chest that seemed to get harder to manage  every second Regina lay there.

Emma swore she could feel her slipping away. Emma always felt that relief of having Regina next to her, but right now, Emma could barely feel the brunette, even if she was standing next to her.

“I don’t know.” Zelena looked at her truly puzzled. “Everything was fine but for a second it felt as if my magic was being rejected, so I stopped. Something didn’t feel right. And then there was the explosion and now… I don’t know. I don’t know what went wrong.” Then a thought seemed to occur to Zelena, “I don’t think it was her, though. I can’t feel her here.” 

“What do you mean you ca-” Whale was cut short by Zelena again.

“Her magic. I can’t feel The Evil Queen. I think she’s gone. Maybe they did it, and Regina just overused her magic.” For the first time, Emma noticed the absence of the Queen. Yeah, she hadn’t seen her before, but actually  _ feel _ the absence of the Queen. When you have magic and you’re near someone who does as well, there’s always that tingling feeling. Always that something that lets you know they have it as well. The famous Evil Queen was a character especially hard to miss, and so, when Zelena pointed it it out, Emma really felt the lack of her presence in the room. “I can’t feel Regina’s magic either. Only barely.” 

They both looked at Whale for answers. He raised his hands in defeat. A bitter feeling grew in Emma’s chest. She remembered how to breathe again. And now she had fire radiating from within.

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” Emma stood up, tired of no one having answers. “You’re supposed to be a genius, freaking Frankenstein. How can you not-” 

“Emma...” Snow took her arm and pulled her back. She hadn’t realized she was so close to Whale. So close to hitting Whale. “Emma, sweetie, everyone’s doing the best they can. Don’t take it out on him.”

Emma let herself be pulled into Snow’s arms and finally choked up a sob. She’d told her. She told Regina this wasn’t going to end well. And here they were. If only Emma hadn’t been such a coward and actually had the courage to talk Regina out of it.

Another pair of arms wrapped her in a hug. Henry put his head on her shoulder and squeezed her tight. “Mom, it’s okay. She’s alive. That’s something. We can figure out how to bring her back. Maybe Zelena is right, maybe it’s just a matter of regaining strength.” He wasn’t crying yet and Emma wished she could keep herself together like he did, instead of uselessly crying when Regina needed her the most.

She looked at Regina again. Zelena was holding her hand while she told Whale she was going to magic Regina to the hospital. The brunette’s face displayed no emotions whatsoever, looking like she was in the deepest of sleeps. Her chest rose and fell, showing that at least she was indeed breathing. She wasn’t even pale and didn’t look hurt, which made Emma feel just a little bit better.

She moved away from Snow’s embrace and took a deep breath to put herself together.

“I’ll go with you guys.” She said when Zelena and Whale were getting ready to leave for the hospital. She was going to be there for Regina, and actually do something to help her this time.

“Me too.” She looked around, where her son stood, still wrapped in Snow’s arms, looking scared. “I wanna go too.” 

“Henry, I think it’s best for you to stay with your grandparents while I find out what happened.”

“But I can help!” Emma considered letting him come with her, as he looked to decided to do something as well, and she understood the feeling. But she had to talk to someone first, and the one thing Emma and Regina had always agreed on, was keeping Henry away from Gold as much as possible.

She looked at her mother pleadingly.

“Henry, sweetheart. Let’s go home. You can help Emma later, but you’re still in shock. It’s best for you take your time and calm down, okay? Besides, I’m sure Neal will be happy to have you there as well.”

“But-”

“Henry, please.” Henry sighed in defeat and nodded. Emma smiled at him, knowing what he must be feeling right now, and wrapped him a tight hug. “It’s okay, kid. I’ll get some answers and get back to you soon.” He smiled at her and she looked back at Zelena. “Alright, let’s go.”

 

When Regina was settled into a hospital bed, and Emma made sure she was in fact, physically healthy and stable, she left the hospital in look for some answers. She didn’t want to leave Regina, but Emma knew it would be better to get some answers than to wait around. Besides, Zelena offered to stay with her, and Henry was joining them soon, so she wouldn’t be  _ alone _ .

The bell rang when she opened the door to Gold’s antiques store. He was waiting for her and greeted her with a smirk.

“Alright, Gold. Tell me what happened. I know you know and you better start talking.”

“Really? And what makes you so sure I know?”

“You’re always involved in all the bad and shady business in this town.”

Gold laughed.

“I can assure you, I did nothing. Regina walked into right one all by herself.” Emma raised an unconvinced eyebrow. “I have nothing to say.”

Emma’s jaw clenched and unclenched. She took a deep breath and exhaled, taking her time to calm down before she punched the old man. She needed answers. She would get them, and  _ then _ beat him up.

“I’m not stupid, Gold.”

He sighed.

“I’m telling you, I was not involved.” 

“Okay, then tell me what happened.”

He looked at her for a moment, debating whether or not to tell her the truth, and the sighed again. “I’m not sure.” He sat down on a bench behind the glass counter. At least he was talking now. “A million things could’ve gone wrong, but I think Regina worsened the situation.”

“Gold…” Emma wanted to tell him to quit playing. She knew Regina did just that, as she was currently  _ at the hospital _ . But then noticed that, for once, the old man didn’t seem to want to trick her. “You can’t give me more obvious answers if you tried.” Emma’s patience was running low.

“Only the sleeping curse isn’t the problem, is just a side effect.” Emma raised a questioning eyebrow. “I think, Regina ended up splitting her soul. Even more so than before.”

“What? How- How can someone do that? Her soul? Like,” Emma didn’t even know where to begin.

“Your dear Regina can be a moron when she wants to.” Emma clenched her fists and looked at Gold to let him know he should starting thinking twice before speaking or he would end up with one of those on his face. He rolled his eyes. “It was a dangerous spell. All it took was one mispronounced word, one moment where she lost focus, and everything could go wrong. She was trying to  _ permanently split her soul in two _ , and as I said, all it takes is a fraction of a second for things to go wrong. I think Regina miscalculated, or got distracted, or simply took on more than she could handle, she screwed up and ended up splitting both herself and the queen again.”

“But where are the other parts of her… soul?” 

“In other realms.” Emma choked on the air she had just breathed in when she heard the world  _ realm _ . Hearing about soul splitting was already ridiculous, but getting sent all over the place? Her Regina was now in different realms at the same time, how on earth could Emma bring her back? “I believe Regina was trying to send her other half to another dimension where she could start again. But, as she now had multiple fractions of her soul, she ended up dispersing them all over the place. I think she sent pieces of her soul to other dimensions, so I guess she didn’t totally fuck up… At least that part of her plan worked.” He smirked.

Emma laid her hands on the glass counter for extra support. “How can I get her back?” 

“Glad you asked. I have just the thing.” Gold left her and entered the back room of the shop. It took him two seconds before he was back with a little bottle in his hands, almost as if he had it ready. “Drink this. It’ll put you in a sleeping curse and get you to Regina.” Emma eyed it suspiciously. “I told you Regina was going to screw up, I wanted to be ready.” Emma eyed  _ him _ suspiciously. “I do get something from it, but it won’t be much trouble for you, I believe. I’ll tell you when you’re both back. I need you both, anyways.” Emma shook her head. “Trust me, dearie. It’s something quite easy for the enormous help I’m offering right now. I believe you have no one else to turn to?” They locked eyes and Emma wanted to tell him to fuck off so bad she had to physically stop her mouth from spitting those words. But she was going to be smart. She had to for Regina. She was in no place to refuse help. 

“What’s the price?”

“Can’t tell you right now. But it’ll do no harm to your loved ones, I can promise that much.” He looked at her with defiance clear in his grey eyes. He knew she had no choice but to accept.

“How do I know it’ll work?”

“You don’t. Not until you try it, anyways. No one has tried to do what Regina did, you really think anyone has needed this potion before? It’ll be a first, as well.”

Emma hoped for a second Regina had never stopped their magic lessons. She hoped she was in the position to walk away and fix this on her own. But she was not.

“Fine.” She sighed and stretched her hand.

She hadn’t had a good look at it before, so it was only when Gold placed it on her hand that she recognized the purple and orange of her parent’s hair. A true love potion. The hairs were floating in some kind of liquid that had taken the same colours. She looked up at Gold, confused.

“Why would I need a True Love potion to find Regina?”

“Because, being the strongest magic of all, True Love can transcend all the realms. It’s the only thing that’ll get you that far.” He smirked at her, and while his explanation made sense, Emma was just not quite convinced. But again, had she ever been when it came to Gold?

Emma eyed him suspiciously yet again. Then sighed.

“I’ll go see if Henry or the others have found anything. I won’t make any deals just yet. If they haven’t found anything else, I’ll take the potion.” Gold nodded at her, smiling, and  _ god  _ she hated that smile.

“As you wish.”

 

They found nothing. Emma groaned as she sat on her parents’ bed, next to a still unconscious Regina. It had been nearly a week since the failed attempt to send the Queen away. A week of research and hoping that ended in her having to agree to take that damn potion. 

Snow and David stood next to her trying to bring some comfort. Henry stood on the other side of the bed, holding Regina’s hand. After a couple of days, they had decided it was pointless to keep her in the hospital. She was just fine, it’s not like she was going to crash and need medical assistance. And she didn’t seem to get any better, so when she did wake they’d just bring her back and avoid the trips back and forth. At first, Emma insisted on bringing her to the mansion. It’s what she would’ve wanted. But it wasn’t practical. Emma was staying with her parents, and Henry was there as well, and they all wanted to care for her, so they ended up back at the Charming’s apartment, even if Regina would’ve rather stay on a park bench before she sleeping in Snow’s bed. 

Emma took her place next to the brunette and opened the little bottle. 

“So I just have to take it?” She looked at Gold and he made his way to her.

“Yes. Put on the ring, take the potion. You’ll fall asleep immediately and it should take you to Regina.”

“Should?” Snow held David’s hand when she asked the question, opening her eyes in surprise.

“Yes, Mary Margaret. As I’ve said a million times already, this is a first for everyone.” Snow’s eyebrows shot up and she rolled her eyes after Gold snapped at her.

“Why the ring, though?” Henry asked

“It’ll serve as an anchor, if you will. The potion will take her where she needs to be, just to make sure, we use something meaningful to the other person. So it’ll take her to them.” 

“And once I’m there?” Emma looked at the ring Regina had had on her hand until a few minutes ago. Gold with a green stone as its only decoration. She’d always wondered what it meant.

“You’ll be on your own. Your mind will go there and it’ll take over the you from another dimension. So their own conscious mind will basically fall asleep, a sleeping curse as well. The difference is that your own conscious mind will take over and you’ll get to live in their place. The Emmas in other dimensions will have their own life going on when you take over them, you’ll have to deal with that and find a way to find Regina. All I can tell you is that, often, people who are meant to know each other will do so in many dimensions. You’ll probably have some type of connection to the Regina of those other realms. It’ll make it easier to find her.”

Emma nodded. She placed the ring on her finger, and a tingling in her chest made her blush. It felt weird wearing something that belonged to Regina. Last time she tried that, with blue blouse, Regina just scolded her and let her be. Would she mind now that it was something so obviously important to her? She would understand, Emma hoped. Besides, now it was different. Now they were friends.

“Good luck, sweetheart. I’m sure everything will be okay.” Snow held her hand and gave her a forced, yet somehow hopeful smile.

“Good luck, Emma. We’ll be waiting for you guys.” David ruffled her hair and pinched her cheek, just like he would’ve done if she had known them as a child.

She looked at Henry and  smiled at him. “Be nice while I’m gone, okay? I love you, and I’m sure everything will be okay.” 

“I’m sure it will.” He smiled back. “Good luck, ma.”

She sighed and turned back her attention to the bottle. 

“Good luck, Swan.” Gold told her, but the look on his face was more one of anticipation, of curiosity. And not for the first time, Emma wished she didn’t have to be his guinea pig.

She laid her head on the backrest of her parents bed and looked at all of them one last time. God only knew how long it would before she saw them again. 

She put the bottle on her lips and closed her eyes. In one big sip she took most of the potion and felt a delicate hand take it from her before everything went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Light shone through the curtains of her room. The white stone of the wall and the floor reflected the light, blinding Emma as soon as she opened her eyes. She was half expecting Mary Margaret to be next to her when she looked at the other side of her bed, but she only saw a heavy wooden door and more marble. 

_ Wooden door _ ? Marble floor?

Emma sat on the bed to get a better look of the room around her. Beautifully decorated with all kinds of expensive looking fabrics in different shades of red and white. Gold was the second most popular colour in the room, with vases decorating the multiple night stands of the room, and delicate golden patterns drawn on the red tissues. Through the thin white fabric that cascaded on all the sides of her bed, Emma could see a painting of men and women and flying white horses. A strong looking men held a head in his hand, a woman’s head. With snakes as hair.

It was then that Emma noticed what she was wearing. Under the silk blanket she was wrapped in was a gown, so light it would probably be see-through if it weren’t for the multiple layers that composed it.

Emma’s mind was racing. This clearly wasn’t Storybrooke. She’d  _ made _ it. She was in a parallel dimension! Hopefully the same dimension Regina was in. But… what was this dimension like? White did everything look so  _ rustic _ . So…. Roman. 

Emma took a closer look at the painting ahead of her. “ _ Deos fortioribus adesse _ ” was written in a very clean handwriting above it. She recognized the words from the boring Latin classes she had to take back in school.

The gods, the language, the room, the clothing, -- Emma touched her head and felt her hair held in elegant braids on top of it, just like the women in the painting on the wall -- the hairstyle… maybe she travelled back in time, instead of travelling between realms. Maybe she was in Rome. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the heavy wooden door at her left opening loudly. Two men stood on either side of the door wearing identical white gowns, not even bothering to look at Emma as they opened the doors for... 

“Ruby!” Emma couldn’t help herself, she was starting to feel overwhelmed by her surroundings. A familiar face was more than welcomed.

Ruby bowed.

“Your grace.” Ruby didn’t seem to notice the surprise in Emma’s face at the title. “I hope you rested well. Your parents requested your presence downstairs. Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours.”

“Thank you… Ruby.” She said, unsure of how to address her at the moment.

Ruby bowed again. “Would you like your braids fixed? You tangled them in your sleep.” Emma nodded. Ruby sat next to her on her bed and made her turn around. “What will you wear for tonight?” 

Was she supposed to be somewhere tonight?

“Uh, I don’t know. What do you suggest?” She decided to play it safe. Emma didn’t know if it was a formal event or a casual one, and worst of all, she didn’t how what was the difference between the gowns everyone was wearing. Which ones were fancy and which ones weren’t? Where were her clothes in the first place?

“I like your gown. I think it’s delicate, and it’ll be warm tonight, I think. So I think you should keep it.” 

“Okay, will do.” Emma smiled at Ruby. “Done?” 

“Yeah, all good.”

“I better go, then.” Emma stood up and started to leave the room, when she heard Ruby giggle again.

“Uh, Emma?” She turned around, grateful to hear her name this time. “Aren’t you going to put on your sandals?” 

“Yeah, of course.” She looked at Ruby, hoping she’d understand she was waiting for her to bring them to her. Ruby sighed and stood up, approached the wall on the other side and gently moved the fabric hanging from the ceiling all the way to the floor. A closet full of sandals of all shades of brown revealed before Emma’s eyes.

“Which ones would you like to wear this time?” Ruby asked, looking at her a little amused.

“Uh, the same as the ones I wore yesterday?” Emma ventured, hoping it would be the right thing to say.

And apparently, it was. Ruby took a decent looking pair of sandals and brought them to Emma.

“Here you go, Your Grace.”

“Thank you, Ruby.” 

Before Emma had to do anything more, the doors opened once again and Ruby gestured for her to lead the way. 

Emma went out of the room and was greeted by another room, this time much more monochrome, the four walls, ceiling and floor being white with a single table in the middle, with a blue and gold vase. The room connected two hallways. One lead straight ahead from Emma’s room, and the other cut the room on either side. Emma looked at Ruby, and she smiled patiently.

She started taking tentative small steps into the room with no particular direction. To the right? In front? To the left?

Ruby was starting to look at her with amused concern. “Your Grace…?” She tried once Emma decided to go straight ahead. “Where are you going?”

“Uh, sorry, I woke up a little lightheaded.” Emma chuckled. And then turned left hoping it was the right answer this time. This time Ruby didn’t say anything so she continued down that hallway by herself. 

She soon encountered a garden that seemed to be in the middle of the house. Beautiful plants of all colours and shades of green grew there as three women watered them.

“Your Grace.” The three of them greeted as Emma walked by.

Emma smiled at them, unsure of how to respond and continued on the same hallway hoping she would run into Mary Margaret or David soon enough.

Emma took her time walking around the house. It was beautiful, with its massive pillars, expensive decoration, small gardens here and there. The simplicity of some rooms really brought Emma a sense of peace as she walked around.

She was distracted, looking at a statue of what seemed to be a goddess when she collided with someone.

“Oh! I’m sorry…” She started apologizing when she finally laid her eyes on the person and relief washed on her. “Dad.”

It was David and yet it wasn’t him. His blond hair was starting to make place for silver and his smile was now accompanied with wrinkles he didn’t have the last time she saw him.

“What was taking you so long, honey? Your mother and I have been waiting for you. We want you to be there to meet Senator Gold when he arrives.” 

Emma tried her best not to show so much her surprise, but hearing Gold’s name gave her a little bit of hope. Maybe he knew something. Emma didn’t know if anyone other than her knew of the situation, even if Regina did, but she hoped being The Dark One gave him some type of advantage over the rest, because God knows Emma could use some help, or at least some guidance in this strange world.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I woke up a little late.” David laughed and offered his arm to guide her to what seemed to be the main entrance of the house. 

Soon enough, she saw her mother standing with her chin high and impeccable clothes near the entrance. It baffled Emma to see Mary Margaret with white hair and wrinkles starting to appear on her face. She knew their rather unique situation wasn’t going to be the case in most of the parallel universes, but seeing her mom age made her heart clench. She wasn’t used to it at all, Emma realized. 

Snow was standing by yet another garden, and though it was as colourful as the previous ones, this one was different from the rest. Overflowing with all kinds of flowers and plants Emma had never seen before, it almost looked like it was aggressively trying to display the money the family could afford to spend on it.

As soon as Snow saw her, she started fussing all over Emma, making sure her braids were perfect and her dress unwrinkled.

“I’m fine, mom.” She couldn’t help herself, she wasn’t a kid anymore and Emma couldn’t stand when Mary Margaret did that, even back home.

“Oh, there he is.” Emma turned just in time to see Gold descend from the carriage where servants had brought him. He turned to the carriage next to him and helped Belle get down.

David waved at them, and as soon as they were in a hearing distance, he started his greetings. “Senator Gold, what a pleasure to have you and your beautiful wife here. Welcome.”

“Thank you Consul Nolan, it’s an honour to be invited.” They shook hands and then David proceeded to kiss Belle’s hand, as Gold did the same to Snow.

Gold finally set his eyes on Emma, who hadn’t stopped looking since his arrival. “Your Grace,” he said taking her hand. “Thank you for welcoming us. I hope you're settling right back in after your trip.” He smirked.

“What trip?” She mumbled just for him to hear. No matter what universe they were in, Gold never failed to make her blood boil.

“Well, the one to the south, of course.” There it was. The teasing smirk she had wanted to punch off his face back in Storybrooke. 

“Yeah… I’m well, thank you.” Gold graced her with another one of his amused looks before turning to Belle and following David back into the house towards what Emma guessed was the dining room.

“Sweetie, I know you don’t like him, but try not to show it so much. You know we aren’t happy to have him here either, but we need to settle this deal.” Mary Margaret whispered as they followed the rest.

“I’ll try…” Emma said as she steeled herself for what was probably going to be a really boring night.

 

Emma was trying to seem interested in the conversation and to day dream at the same time, as they waited for dinner to be served. Her father and Gold were busy discussing important affairs of the Senate that Emma couldn’t and didn’t care to understand. On the other side, Mary Margaret and Belle were talking about babies and about how much Belle wanted to have her first. 

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be with child soon enough. Give it time, sweetie. Enjoy your life now, once they’re born they occupy most of your time for the years to come!” She smiled lovingly at Emma and brushed her hair before going back to her conversation.

Just as Emma was about to go back to thinking about what could possibly be going on on Storybrooke, Ruby announced: “Senator Mills is here, Your Grace.”

Emma’s head shot up to look at the corridor they had come through when they came from the main entrance.  _ Regina _ . Emma felt lighter just hearing her name. After having to pretend she knew what was going on and feeling that overwhelming confusion at seeing the familiar faces, yet not  _ quite _ the same as back home, the thought of having Regina in the room made her feel ten times lighter. And relieved. And even happy. 

She scanned the hallway waiting for Regina to show up, suddenly feeling like she was a puppy waiting for the mailman. She was half expecting herself to actually jump at her friend when she could finally see her.

Knowing the fearlessness that characterizes Regina, Emma was expecting ‘Senator Mills’ to be the brunette. But soon enough Henry Senior showed up with Cora at his arm, walking proudly towards David, who was waiting to great them.

Two long heartbeats passed where Emma worried, and dreaded, that was all. For a hot second disappointment started to make its way in Emma’s chest, when finally the anticipated brunette appeared at the doorway behind her parents.

She looked younger than Storybrooke Regina, and seemed somehow much softer. Her hair was braided in a similar way to Emma’s, two curly locks of hair still decorated her face. A white and blue gown made her look almost godlike, as she waited patiently with a calm expression Emma had never seen on her before to be greeted by Emma’s parents.

She looked beautiful. And Emma could not stop her heart from fluttering at such an enchanting sight. 

Emma felt herself go softer than she thought would be possible after that view, when brown eyes met hers. An amused grin threatened to escape Regina’s lips as she watched Emma try to put herself together after being caught staring. Emma knew she had probably looked like a kid watching their birthday cake come into the room, and her face was probably the colour of the strawberries on the table. Emma looked elsewhere to swallow her embarrassment back down, the most embarrassing part of it all was that she  _ had  _ felt like a kid seeing their birthday cake. The most embarrassing part being how Regina had seen the pure happiness that spread in Emma’s body at the sight of her, and had only greeted her with an amused smirk when Emma has greeted her with adoring eyes.

Emma felt a tug in her heart at the sight of the familiar mocking smirk, the one Regina had used when Emma had burned the pancakes, or when the brunette had first caught her making excuses to come over to the mansion, for the first time reminding herself that somewhere in this Regina was part of the one she was trying to save.

Emma observed the brunette once again, looking for other traces of her own Regina; the complex emotions that made her brown eyes the mesmerising sight they were, or the tension Regina seemed to carry with her without even realizing, weren’t there. This Regina seemed lighter somehow. Her eyes didn’t show the constant dilemma they usually did in Storybrooke, her face seemed relaxed, her shoulders were pushed back as her high social status demanded, not because of the years of internal battle that had made the Regina she knew so apprehensive. Even the little scar above her lip was gone, and an unexpected sadness came over Emma as she noticed the absence of yet another detail setting the two Reginas apart. This woman was clearly Regina, and yet she wasn’t the Regina she had hoped would walk through that door.

She was brought back to reality when she heard Mary Margaret say her name.

“Emma, sweetheart, aren’t you coming to greet our guests?” The look on Mary Margaret’s face made it clear it wasn’t a question she could answer ‘no’ to.

“Yes, sorry.” She stood up and went by her parents side. 

Henry Sr took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Emma, dear, looking more like your mother everyday.” He really did seem like the sweet man Regina had sometimes described to Emma when they had drank a couple of wine glass too much. 

“Thank you, sir.” 

“Oh, please, call me Henry. After all these years, there’s no need for so much formality.”

“Indeed, dear. We’re like family now.” Cora’s voice sent a chill up Emma’s spine. The blonde turned to face the woman who had given her as many nightmares in the few time she had been in Storybrooke as Emma’s biggest childhood fear. The woman  _ looked  _ terrifying, even if she was dressed in an impeccably in  a white gown and gold accessories, her features reminded Emma of the cruel woman Regina had warned her about back in the day. 

Fucking Cora. “Of course.” Emma smiled, and felt her skin crawl as they greeted each other with a kiss on each cheek.

This time, when Emma turned to look at Regina, the brunette was already looking at her, waiting to greet her as well. 

She felt Cora’s effect on her body reverse the second she smelled Regina’s soft perfume. Emma felt the familiar tickle go down her spine and her heart come alive the second her cheek touched Regina’s soft skin. The had hugged before, mostly to greet each other and to say goodbye, but they weren’t very touchy feely with each other. Partly because lately every one of those little touches sent Emma’s mind to places she didn’t allow herself to go and made her chest feel things she didn’t want to acknowledge.

When they parted, Regina was looking at her so sweetly Emma had to look away because that overwhelming feeling starting in her belly and spreading to every corner of her body made her heart sink and her breath catch in her throat. Every part of her body seemed to react to Regina, and Emma wasn’t always the best at hiding it. That’s why she kept their physical contact at the minimum, and why she flew home when their Saturday night wine-fuelled conversations got too emotional. She knew that, if her Regina was here, she would’ve noticed the slightest change. So as a reflex she had developed, Emma turned away and tried to hide exactly how much power Regina had over her.

Emma allowed herself to glance back at Regina when they were back at the table and her mind wasn’t racing with a thousand thoughts per minute anymore. The brunette, sitting across the table from Emma and between Cora and Belle, was already looking at her with curiosity.

Emma’s breath caught in the throat again. That look transcended realms. 

While this Regina had also looked so familiar, yet so new, with her calm expression and softness, this look, that expression on her face of waiting to know what was going through her ‘dear Emma’s’ mind wasn’t new to the blonde.

Emma smiled at her briefly, wishing that look hadn’t been the way she’d first seen her Regina on this new Regina. Regina smiled back at her, and just like that, the knot in Emma’s throat dissipated.

And just like that, not for the first time in the night, Emma wondered where in this gentle version of Regina was her own Regina hiding.

 

The whole meal was spent in a conversation of gazes. Emma would look at the brunette sitting between Belle and Cora, and she would look back at Emma seconds later, feeling the blonde’s stare on her. Sometimes it would be the other way around, and the brunette would already be looking at Emma when she looked at her direction. As the meal progressed, the looks became less of appreciation of one another and more as a mocking response to whatever was being said around them.

It was only towards the end of the meal that Emma realized she hadn’t heard Regina speak once during the whole meal. She wondered if her voice was as gentle as her demeanor, or if the husky voice of Storybrooke Regina would carried through to this realm.  

Servants were picking up the leftovers from what Emma could only call a  banquet, and everyone other than Regina and Emma were deep in conversation.

“We can continue this conversation over in my study. I believe it’s a more appropriate place for a serious matter like this one.” David stood up and gesture for Henry Sr and Gold to follow him. 

The three men disappeared into yet another hallway, and Mary Margaret announced: “Ladies, if you’d like, we can go for a walk in the back garden.” When both Cora and Belle agreed, she stood up and started to lead the way to the latter.

Emma waited until Regina stood up to do so as well, wanting to make sure she wasn’t going to end up by herself with a group of gossiping women. 

The back garden was all kinds of exotic as well as the inside ones, only this one didn’t seem so packed. Because it was much larger than the ones inside, it was more sparsely organized. Trees here and there, with coloured flowers hanging from them and planted at the bottom of each created little colourful isles in the garden. Emma quickly decided it was her favourite place in the house. 

She didn’t realize she was trailing behind the group until she saw the other women sit in in a bench at the far end of the garden, by a tree. The sunset was giving place to the night, and it gave a mysterious tone to the place. 

The city, completely visible from the garden, as their house was on top of a hill, was starting to fade away as well, only small bright spots remained, where lanterns were placed.

Regina looked bored when Emma finally joined them, and Emma found herself mirroring that disinterest, so decided to take the matter into her own hands. “Would you like to take a walk with me?” She asked the brunette softly, so she wouldn’t interrupt the women’s conversation. Partly because she didn’t want to be stopped by them.

Regina looked surprised for a second, but after looking at Emma for any signs of joking, she agreed. “Uh, yeah, I would love to.”

As she had predicted, Regina’s voice was much softer here as well. And Emma had to cover her amazement at the discovery with a polite smile, offering her arm to Regina. She couldn’t keep looking surprised everytime the brunette breathed in a different way than Emma was used to. Even if this Regina was proving herself to be very different from the one Emma had grown to lov-

Emma shook her head at her inner monologue. She wasn’t about to go there.

“Are you okay?” Regina asked her when she saw the troubled look on Emma’s face.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Don’t worry.” Emma smiled.

The brunette nodded, and then smiled amusedly back at Emma. “So... to what do I owe the honour?”

“What do you mean?” Emma tried to keep it cool, as she had since she had woken up in this realm, she tried not to look too lost and tried not to make the change of behaviour too obvious.

“The walk. What do I owe the honour to? It’s rather a rare occasion. I was starting to think you were scared of me…” She said, with a tentative grin. 

Emma smile back, sensing the playful tone, but couldn’t help but wonder what the other Emma was like around this Regina for her to think that. “No, not at all. Why would you think that?”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “Well, we’ve known each other for over a decade and you’ve made your best efforts to avoid me for most of it.”

“I haven’t been actively avoiding you… I just didn’t have the opportunity to talk before.” She was really trying her best to blindly come up with excuses. She had no idea what had gone through her counterpart’s head to do such a stupid thing for so long. 

Regina didn’t look convinced, but didn’t push further as she gave Emma a surrendering smile. “It’s okay, I don’t blame you.”

Emma felt baffled by many things at once. She wanted to ask what she meant by that, but since Regina spoke about it with such confidence, she could only assume this realm’s Emma had been there to witness whatever Regina was referring to. Asking further explanations would probably make Regina suspicious, so Emma begrudgingly abstained. 

Then, there was the fact that Emma felt lost in the situation. As Regina looked away, Emma couldn't seem to read her expression. She looked as if she could just be staring at the flowers around them, or avoiding Emma’s gaze after her puzzling comment, or that comment could be her way to express she was upset about it and now it could be filtering through her expression as well. Whichever it was, Emma couldn’t point it down and, not for the first time in the night, Emma felt frustration build in her chest.

A silence fell over them, and it felt definite. For a minute or two Emma thought that’s how the rest of the walk would be. She cursed herself for not knowing what to say to alleviate the tension between them, as she had mastered back in Storybrooke. She had learned what to say to make the brunette put her walls back down and now hated going back to that place of uncertainty and walking on eggshells.

“I just thought it was ridiculous that we never talk.” She decided to try, the thought of Regina being upset didn’t settle well with her in any case. Regina looked back at her, and this time Emma met her gaze with a decided look. “So I wanted to change that.”

It seemed to be the right thing to say, and Emma felt her chest get lighter when Regina smiled at her. “I’m glad you did.”

Brown eyes suddenly looked so familiar starting back at her with new found warmth. For the first time since waking up here, Emma felt herself give into the familiarity of Regina’s tender gaze.

Emma didn’t realize they had walked so far away until she looked over her shoulder and couldn’t see her mother anymore. 

Her attention shifted when she felt someone walk past her, and realized that Ruby and other girls she hadn’t recognized were lighting candles all around the garden now that the night had settled in. Some hang from the trees, some next to the wooden benches in different parts of the garden, some on the exterior of the mansion walls.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Regina asked, looking around as the night sky seemed to have settled down on earth, the little candles looking like stars in an otherwise dark garden, making little colourful patches all around where their light shone on the plants.

Emma looked at Regina, and for a second imagined her Regina standing next to her, arm around Emma’s, looking with a pleased smile and shining eyes at something Emma hadn’t even bothered to look at, having the most amazing sight next to her. “Yeah, it is.”

Their moment lasted a couple of seconds. Enough to appreciate it, but not enough to make the moment a  _ thing  _ they would have to awkwardly laugh off when it was over. 

As they kept walking, Emma allowed herself to forget the reason she was here, the person she was looking for, and the people she missed, and actually enjoy the calm walk with Regina at her side.

Emma could feel Regina’s gaze on her. “Hmm?” She smiled back when she met Regina’s amused, yet tender eyes.

“You seemed to be contemplating something, I was just admiring the view.” 

Emma pretended not to notice the tickle that comment sent from her heart, to her belly, to everywhere in her body, as Regina pretended not to know the effect it would have on Emma.

“I was just enjoying the moment as well.” She smiled, and the brunette smiled back at her with some sort of understanding in her eyes as Emma tried to look innocent.

Regina only nodded and looked away, breaking the warm moment they shared. She cleared her throat. “How was your trip?” 

Emma was surprised by both the change of subject and the question. Regina seemed to leave behind any signs of contempt and warmth, and tried to look casual, though she looked as if she had been denied something she longed for. And, not for the first time in the night, Emma thought for a second Regina might know.

She looked at Regina, and hopefully looked for signs that she might be insinuating something. Maybe she knew and she could help her save her Regina. Their eyes met again, and Regina was looking at her with interest, but also the boring innocence of small talk.

And then she remembered. Her trip to the south.

“It was okay. Uneventful.” Emma tried not to elaborate. It was always in the details that lies were detected. 

Regina nodded. 

An uncomfortable silence fell on them and Emma wondered.

Wondered about a lot of things, the same way she had since waking up. How would she help Regina go back home, if she couldn’t even figure out how to behave properly in this new world? Would it be wise to tell Regina? Emma looked at Regina and tried to imagine what her life here looked like from what she had seen so far. 

Both her parents were alive, which meant good things and awful things all at once. Henry Sr was here, so Regina didn’t have to blame herself for that, at least in this one realm. He was here to care for her, and hopefully somehow protect her from Cora. Or at least make her feel a minimum at peace. By the way he had talked about Regina and the proud look he had on his face when he looked at his daughter over dinner, Emma was fairly sure all the sweet things she had heard about him were still true in this universe. 

But then there was Cora, who seemed to have the same effect anywhere she went. Emma hadn’t expected anything different, and yet, was still surprised at the venom the woman’s eyes seemed to hold. All the mischievousness hidden behind the fake smile she had graced Emma with when they greeted. The way every cell in Emma’s body seemed to recoil away from just the thought of the woman. It was safe to say Cora was here to haunt Regina as much as she had in any other dimension, making snarky comments so bluntly targeted at her daughter, even if the latter was sitting next to her and hearing every one of them, pretending not to notice, but the clenched jaw here and there told otherwise. 

Emma had a good idea of what Regina’s life was like here, probably not that different from the one her Regina had known. 

She looked at the brunette once again, who seemed to be as lost in her own thoughts as she was, and recognize that maybe the two Regina’s weren’t as different. This Regina had her own battles to fight, and now that she thought about it, she had seen most of all the little details that made Regina so her.

The amused smirk, the sassy comments, the intense eyes, the shying away from a situation she felt herself getting too comfortable with someone else, the regal essence she seemed to carry around wherever she went, her warm voice, and a thousand of different smiles, all more Regina than the previous. 

And Emma had yet to see her favourite. 

Maybe it was a good idea to tell her? The last detail Emma hadn’t thought of crossed Emma’s mind like a wildfire, burning all the hopes she had let herself build just now. Was this a land with or without magic?

She looked at Regina. If she had to try her chance with anyone, Emma would rather do it with Regina. “I’ve never liked Gold.” Emma tried. If there was someone with a shady business here, it was him, for sure.

Regina scorned. “Who has?”

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. I’ve always thought he had this… dark...energy to him.”

“That happens to anyone that messes with dark magic.” Regina stated, as if it was obvious.

So there  _ is _ magic. 

“Have you ever messed with that?” Emma said before she could stop herself. 

It came out wrong, she just wanted to know if Regina had any experience with magic at all, or if it was even acceptable to use any kind of magic in this realm. And the hurt look on Regina’s face made her regret it even more the second she said it.

Regina stepped away from her, detaching their arms. 

“I’m not my mother.” The hurt look was soon replaced with an indignated one. Emma scolded herself for such a beginner’s mistake. “I know everyone thinks otherwise, but I am  _ not _ like her. And I will never be, even if no one believes it.” 

She didn’t wait for Emma’s response before she turned around and started to make her way to the other end of the garden.

“Regina, wait.” Emma called after her. She sprinted to catched up, trying to make her stop. Gently holding her by the arm without making things worse. “I’m sorry.” Regina finally looked at her, but her eyes were so intense, Emma decided to back up and give her some space before her gaze burned holes in her clothes. “I know you’re not like her. I was just curious, and the question came out wrong.” Emma babbled trying to make her understand, and feeling slightly more anxious as Regina looked at her with fury in her eyes. Regina didn’t seem to get any better. 

And then, an idea seemed to strike her. “Did you ask me to come out here  _ just to ask me that _ ?” Emma’s jaw dropped, as Regina’s eyes seemed to change colour for a second, both looking as appalled by the suggestion. “Is that why you’ve been staring at me this whole time?” 

Emma felt this situation was breaking apart beyond saving right in front of her eyes. “What?  _ No _ , of course not! I meant it, wanting to talk to you. I wasn’t try to insinuate anything, I’m  _ sorry _ . I know you’re not like her, and I should’ve known better than to ask.” Their eyes locked and for a brief second Regina seemed to give in, before realizing what she had just considered and putting her walls back up. Emma was so desperately trying to make her  _ see _ what she meant that she was sure she was a second away from actually making puppy eyes. “I know you’re better than that. I know that.  _ Please _ , believe me. ” Emma was begging her now, because this Regina probably had no reason at all to believe her words, but Emma needed her to understand she was on Regina’s side. 

Emma sighed in defeat, really hating this reality and wishing she was in Storybrooke, where she didn’t have to prove to Regina that she came in peace because they had already established she could be trusted, where she wouldn’t have fucked up this badly because she didn’t need to get to know a whole new Regina. Because even if she made a mistake, Emma knew Regina would understand she would never want to hurt her.

“Do you?” Regina asked, bitterness in her voice. Her eyes scanned Emma’s face with intensity, looking for any signs of fakeness, of doubt on her, or even of mischievousness as she was probably used to seeing in people. But when she only saw regret in Emma’s face, and maybe a little fear, she gave up the angry look for a more hurt one. “How would you know, you barely even know me.”

It stung Emma’s heart. Regina was probably saying it to hurt her and scare her away, a way to protect herself both Reginas seemed to share, but she also knew it was mostly true, from what Regina had said before that evening. So it hurt. The truthfulness of it all hurt most of all. She couldn’t imagine a world where the brunette didn’t feel at peace with Emma. And yet, the brunette in front of her right now, looking at her with all kind of emotions, had no way of knowing that. 

Emma saw as Regina shut down. Putting every wall up and space between them. She could see in Regina’s eyes the blinding hurt she had only seen back when she had first moved in to Storybrooke. And Emma found herself wanting to reach for Regina but not knowing how.

“I know you enough to know better.” Emma tentatively said. “I’m sorry. I  _ really _ am.” She needed to try something, and honesty had always worked with the Regina she knew. So she tried to let Regina see her regret, hoping she would accept it. 

Regina looked at her for a while, looking for the lie in her statement, or the sign that would give it away. Suspiciously, she studied Emma and then met her eyes. She seemed to be debating whether or not to believe her, the expression on her face changing as clearly as the seasons as she weighted in the situation. When she found nothing but true regret, and even desperation on the blonde’s face, she nodded. Emma felt something she couldn’t even describe as Regina’s eyes started to soften again and her shoulders dropped from the defensive pose she had taken.

Emma felt the freshness of relief wash over her as Regina sighed again. “Fine.”

Emma smiled shyly at her, probably the relief she felt at the moment showing through as well. “Really?”

The brunette stared at her with an increasingly amused expression, until her lips curved slightly and she rolled her eyes. “Yes, really.”

 

Emma tried not to push it, as she felt lucky to just have Regina talk to her after that monumental fuck up. So, when they decided to start walking again, she decided against asking for Regina’s hand again and instead walked side by side. 

They fell into a comfortable silence as they strolled down a stone covered walkway. 

After Regina accepted her apology, they found themselves in a sort of staring game where they would try not to look away. The catch being, their eyes seemed to get impossibly more tender with each second. So much so, that, when it became too heavy Regina broke out in a giggle that Emma had never heard before. It took her by surprise, but was such a relief after the tense moments she had gotten herself into that she soon joined Regina and the awkward moment seemed to be washed away by their laughter.

When their laughter died out, sometime after they started walking again, neither of them felt the need to say anything else, secretly avoiding ruining the moment yet again. Because with the garden lighted as it was, with candles all over making it seem just like the sky above them, and everyone far away enough, it felt like it was just Regina and Emma in the universe. And even though they wouldn’t admit it, neither of them wanted to break the moment.

They walked past a tree, under one of the various lanterns hanging from the branches. The light made Regina’s shine a whole palette of warm colours and her eyes seemed as light as honey. Her expression softened in the night, as it once had in Storybrooke. Emma had had the chance to see it as one of their Saturday night meals went on too late last summer, Henry went to bed, and Regina suggested they moved out to the backyard. They sat under the apple tree, their faces barely visible in the dark, and Emma found herself staring at an entirely new Regina she had never had the chance to stare at before, or since. Until now, standing under an olive tree, Regina looking up at the stars, Emma preferring to look at the woman in front of her. 

“Remember when we use to stare at the stars when we were little?” She suddenly asked, still looking up, startling Emma out of her peaceful trance. It took her a couple of seconds to register what Regina had just said, and stop herself from denying it. Instead, she hummed, waiting and hoping would continue. “I use to love those nights. I always dreaded when I had to accompany my parents on business visits, but coming here was always the exception.” She smiled at Emma so sweetly, the blonde felt her heart clench and her body go so soft she feared she would end up on her knees. But she didn’t care. She cared for little other than Regina right at that moment.

“And why’s that?” Her voice sounded like someone else’s when it came out of her mouth, but as Regina locked their gazes, Emma let herself become whoever she felt like it in that moment, as long as it would make  _ this  _ last a little longer.

Regina chuckled, barely audible. “You were my only friend growing up, I thought you knew that.”

Emma made her best efforts not to react too obviously, but her surprise was hard to tone down, and Regina didn’t miss it. She slightly raised an eyebrow, still looking at Emma. “I was?” The blonde asked, feeling caught.

She was sure her and Regina had been nothing more than occasional presences in each other’s lives. Regina did say Emma been avoiding her, after all. Them being childhood friends was the last thing that could’ve crossed Emma’s mind. 

“Yes, well, it’s hard to get close to people when you dad is a senator and your mom the most renowned witch in the city.” She snarked, notin a rude way, but in the sassy way she always did, the one that made Emma feel right at home. Regina stared at her intently. “You know that. Most people get close out of convenience, nowadays. In my case, when they don’t run away out of fear in the first place.” Regina’s eyes seemed to react to Emma’s every expression, no matter how quickly she changed it or how hard she tried to hide it, Regina seemed to be quicker. Always reading the expression on her face, better than Emma had managed the other way around. Regina, on the other hand, seemed to read Emma’s face with such ease, the blonde just gave up. “No need for the pity, dear. I’m used to it by now. Life without friends really is not as terrible as it seems…”

“Without friends? Thought I was your friend.” Emma commented, playing hurt.

Regina chuckled again. “Sure thing.” Emma did seem hurt this time at the sarcasm in the brunette’s voice, and Regina looked curiously at her. “Emma,we haven’t had a conversation this long in  _ years _ .” 

Emma shrugged, a pout starting to form on her face. She knew she should probably stop now. This Emma and this Regina had their history, and it was probably best left alone. And Emma was arguing blindly, she could screw up again and give something  _ so  _ away easily. She knew this wasn’t her battle to fight. But the moment felt so real, and as always Regina made her want to make things right. “But don’t the years before that count?”

“We were kids, Emma.”

“And? Any less real? You’ve always been my favourite-”  _ person _ , “friend. True friendship don’t let things like that get in the way!” She declared a little jokingly, like she would’ve done back in elementary school when she still tried to make friends, though with some hope in that too.

“I don’t know, seemed pretty serious to me. You were the one who told me you ‘couldn’t be my friend anymore’... couldn’t have people see us together!” The brunette declared in a playful, yet slightly accusing way.

Emma looked at her again. What had this version of her been thinking? They seemed to have a friendship so pure, of course she had to be the one to ruin it. She promised herself to look more into that before leaving. If she was about to save one Regina, why not save her friendship with this one too?

“I’m sorry I was such a jerk as a kid.” She said honestly, confronted by the accusation, and hoping it was something this Emma would feel too.

Regina sighed. “It’s okay… we were kids.” She gave Emma a small smiled, and for a second the blonde thought she would be okay, before Regina continued. “It was a matter of time, anyways. I always end up eventually scaring everyone away.”

Emma’s heart clenched at how simply Regina seemed to accept that fact. Screw this Emma and everything she had told herself to keep the changes on this realm at a minimum. “One asshole kid doesn’t count as everyone.” She said, and Regina looked back at her, a wondering look on her face. “Besides, that one asshole kid regrets saying all those things. She has for years.” In that moment, Regina looking at her so hopefully under the light that made her look so impossibly otherworldly, Emma decided that, if there was one thing about her that couldn’t change no matter the realm, was her devotion to Regina and whatever beautiful thing they had created. So, she was speaking the truth and nothing but the truth when she added: “And she would like to make up for all those years two friends lost because one was nothing more than a coward.”

The pride she knew so well flooded her heart as Regina smiled and nodded, warm eyes making Emma smile back. “I think I would love that as well.”

Few times had Emma felt such an intense gaze on her as she was feeling right now, as brown eyes looked at her in such a tender way, Emma had to look away to breathe. The only other option after feeling that inexplicable longing would’ve been doing something she knew every version of her would regret afterwards. Regardless of how badly she craved it in the first place.

Regina brushed her hand on Emma’s to get her attention back, sending tickles up Emma’s arm. “I remember when we use to sit under this tree and promise each other the most absurd things.” She chuckled, and Emma chuckled even though she didn’t know what the brunette was talking about because Regina’s moods were just  _ that _ contagious. 

“Were they that impossible, though?” Emma made her question as innocent as she could, hoping it would get her an insight to what this version of themselves’ childhood was like.

“Well, unless you still want to get a house together by the sea…” Regina remarked in a mocking, yet slightly suggesting tone.

Emma chuckled again, this time humourless. Because, really, every version of her had to want something she couldn’t get. Emma could already picture herself ruining something perfectly good for something she shouldn’t be wishing for in the first place. Exactly why she denied herself those kind of thoughts back in Storybrooke.

“Some things never change.” She said with giving herself permission to do so, and closed her eyes and she registered what had just come out of her mouth. 

When she looked back up, Regina was staring at her intently. Searching her face with curiosity, and finally just smiled.

“I guess I could say the same.” She simply said, and Emma chuckled again. 

What was she getting herself into?

 

When they made their way back to the house, Emma begrudgingly agreeing to go back when Regina suggested it was time, everyone was already saying their goodbyes. Gentlemen, looking serious and honorable as they promised to continue their conversation the next day at work, women finishing their gossip. 

With the magic behind them, no longer under candle lights, being the only two people in the darkness and the silence of what Emma had discovered was their favourite part of the house, Regina turned into the reserved, yet gentle woman Emma had seen walk through that door.

Unsure of what the protocol was here, she waited until Regina took the lead. “Lovely night,” she said as she kissed Emma on both cheeks, sending familiar tickles all over the place, “Thank you. I hope we can do it again soon.” It was the first time Emma noticed the brunette’s eyes were shining as she looked at Emma with tenderness, which made her smile like a fool.

“I hope so too.” Emma answered, and before she could enjoy it any longer, their moment was broken by Mary Margaret demanding she said her farewells to the Gold family.

“Farewell, dearie.” Rumple said, kissing the back on her hand. He looked at her with a conspiratorial shine in his eyes as he added: “I do hope you find what you’re looking for.” Before turning away and leaving Emma with more questions than she could handle.

The Nolan’s followed their guests to the door, and Emma watched Gold walk away with frustration. Always riddles, always shady. She wondered if there was a realm where everything wasn’t so… mysterious with him.

Emma turned around, looking for brown curls one last time. And as quickly as she had walked in, with only one last glance at each other before walking out of the Nolan’s mansion, Regina was gone.

 

“I swear that woman drives me crazy.” Mary Margaret complained as they made their way back to the chambers that same night. “It’s like she’s always looking for your weakness, and it’s like she wants to use it against you. Sometimes a girl just wants to talk.” 

“Yeah, Cora is a piece of work.” It was the one thing Emma could say with confidence about this new world.

David chuckled. “Poor Henry. That man’s an angel married to Hades himself.”

“And poor sweet Regina. Have you seen how Cora treats her? Oh dear…” Emma winced at the condescending tone in her mother’s voice, knowing Regina would probably hate it, but knowing exactly what Snow meant.

The more she thought about it, the more Emma wanted to make Cora disappear once and for all.

They arrived to, what Emma recognized, were the doors of her bedroom.

“Good night sweetheart,” Mary Margaret kissed Emmad forehead.

“Night, kiddo.” David ruffled her hair, before walking away with Snow by his arm.

Emma watched them walk away, a glimpse of what her life would’ve been if she had grown up with them. Visions of the two of them tucking young Emma in came to her mind, and she braced the warmth it brought her before leaving the thoughts aside, avoiding the usual resentment that came immediately after.

There were two different men in front of her door this time, though wearing the same white gown, and looking equally imposing as they opened the heavy doors. 

Her room was exactly the same, except a night gown was now on her bed, ready for her to put it on. She quickly changed and put the day’s clothes on the long chair by the window before jumping on the bed she had woken up in a few hours ago. This felt oddly familiar, even if nothing around her looked like her actual bedroom.

The only two light candles in the room were put out by Ruby, before she left with the discarded clothes.

She decided to leave the frustration and the questions Gold put in her mind aside, and embraced the sleep and the still silly contempt Regina left her taking over her. God knew she needed it. Thought, it was only when she was alone, that Emma allowed herself to think about Regina again.

The curly haired brunette that looked so much more like a younger version of the Regina she knew. Her face looked younger, and Emma wondered if it was the lack of pain harshening her features that made her look that way. Or if she really was a younger version of the brunette. It puzzled Emma how this Regina was both a slightly less apprehensive and yet a harder to read Regina. How she was both so similar and so different to Emma, all those known little details that made Regina  _ Regina  _ and all the other little things missing, like the lower tone to her voice, the fierce look on her face that made no one want to mess with her even if everyone knew the Evil Queen days were long past. 

The thing that stuck with Emma most of all, were the familiar warm look on her eyes whenever Emma seemed to say the right thing. Like under the tree, or just before they parted ways, or when Emma had caught her staring at her during dinner, or when Emma use to tuck Henry in, turn around and meet Regina’s gaze, or when Emma had stood up for Regina in a town meeting and Regina wouldn’t stop looking at her with  _ that  _ look Emma could only love.

It puzzled her as well, but she had long decided she would give herself just this one thing and accept it just as it was. A look full of love just for Emma.


	4. Chapter 4

It never failed to amaze Emma how much this felt like a time capsule. When people with gown of all colours and flowers crowns on their heads walked past her in their way to the market, or when David and the other senator had looked in the white and red gown with the olive branch crown on their heads, totally serious faces on while Emma tried not to giggle. 

She looked around the market, the imposing temple where people were bringing  offerings , the other stone built buildings all around them, leaving her astonished. She felt right in an ancient Rome documentary, and often wondered if she had actually travelled back in time.

Mary Margaret told Ruby to go go pick whatever the chief cook needed for the day’s meals and left Emma with her, excusing herself to do something important a couple of roads away.

Emma was at her task of picking the best fruits possible, some of them she didn’t even recognize, and hearing Ruby talk about how excited she was for Lupercalia, something Emma quickly discovered to be their version of Saint Valentine’s Day. Ruby was going on and one about how she was hoping to find a match with Venus, Goddess of Love’s blessing one that day.

“It’s exciting to know I might just be a couple of weeks away from meeting my future spouse!” 

“I really hope you do. How are you going to find your match, though?” Emma regretted that the second Ruby looked at her with an incredulous look on her face.

“In the festival, here at the central square… With all the other unmarried people. Everyone will be looking for that special one.” She said Emma quickly nodded and focused on choosing fruits before she could ask another suspicious question.

The day was warmer than she had initially expected from the morning fog and fresh breeze. Strong, and amplified by the reflection on the stone around her, the sun shone over the market, making everything seem even more out of a dream to Emma.

She looked around at the people going on with their lives, as if there wasn’t an intruder in their realm, not bothering to think if they were doing or not the right thing with every little movement, already used to the ways of this land. They seemed to take their gowns and crowns and temples and deities very seriously, something Emma was yet to do. 

She did appreciate the difference from the world she knew, even in her cluelessness she felt in awe of this new world as she scanned her surroundings.

And then she saw him. 

Her awe faded and her mind raised the second she saw him parting ways with Belle, at the other side of the market. 

Senator Gold was making his way to the senate, by himself. Emma saw her opportunity, and if she acted quickly enough, she might get the chance she had been waiting for since waking up in this realm.

“I’ll be right back, if Mary Margaret comes back, tell her I saw… a friend and that I wanted to say hello.” She quickly instructed Ruby without even bothering to look at her servant’s surprised face as she left the orange she had in her hand back on its place and headed towards Gold.

Emma crossed the plaza as quickly, yet as subtle as she could and managed to get to Gold before he started to make his way up the stairs to the Senate.

“Gold! Senator Gold!” She said, and quickly corrected herself when a couple of women gave her an accusing look at the lack of formality.

The old man turned around and had the grace to look pleased to see Emma. “Miss Nolan, good to see you again.”

He greeted her politely, and looked at her with a professional smile, knowing he had many eyes on him wherever he went.

“Senator Gold.” She vowed, learning by observation that it was the way to go. She decided to waste no time. “Can we talk? It’s urgent.”

“Oh, I’m afraid not now, dear. There’s a conference I need to attend.” He gestured to the imposing building behind him.

“I know, but it won’t take long. I just need some answers and I’ll be out  of the way. After all, I have no time to waste, I have something to look for…” She looked at him intently when she said the last part, and the professional smile fell from his face as understandment settled on his eyes. 

He sighed and looked over his shoulders, where people were still walking in the building. “Fine. But I’m afraid I don’t have more than five minutes for this.”

“Alright.” Emma lead the way to a slightly less populated road by the side of the senate, greeting all kinds of people on the way, realizing that being the daughter of a consul and a senator brought some attention on you whether you want it or not.

Once they were away form most of the crowd, Gold seemed to shift into the attitude Emma recognized well enough. “I’m afraid I don’t have all the answers you want.”

“Really?” Emma raised a questioning eyebrow, shifting into her normal self as well. “And how do you know what I want to know? How do I know you’re not pretending?”

“Well, you’re not as hard to read as you think you are, Swan. And I’m afraid you’re underestimating my capacities, dearie.”  He looked at her with understandment, and a  _ mischievousness  _ that told Emma she didn’t have to further explain herself. He knew why she was here, his smirk, shady comments the night before and the way he looked at her as if he was really to win this game told Emma everything she needed to know.

“Then how come you don’t have the answers then?” 

He put a finger on his lips, badly acting surprised. “Oh, maybe I don’t  _ want _ to give you all the answers.”

“What do you get from this?” She groaned as she looked at him fiercely

He giggled, “Well, fun of course. Seeing you run around looking for Regina, truly is the sight.”

Emma looked at Gold, frustration and anger building in her chest as she considered the old man. He had all the power right now. He  _ could _ not give her the answers she craved, if he really didn’t want to. And she had nothing to argue with. She was by herself here, only starting to understand how this world worked, the only people she knew she could trust were her parents-

_ Her parents _ .

Emma decided to try her last and only trick. “I’ll make sure that deal of yours with my father falls through if you don’t start speaking.” Eyebrows furrowed, eyes burning holes in Golds forehead, Emma tried to look as persuasive as she could. They stared at one another for a moment, Gold trying to see if her facade would fall. “You know he doesn’t deny anything to me.  I’ll make something up and consider yourself worthless to his eyes.” She hoped this realm’s David was like the David she knew. She hoped with all her might this strategy would work, because it was all she had, and she couldn’t stand another day of feeling hopelessly lost in this world, another day of not helping Regina.

Gold sighed. “I don’t know as much as you think I do.”

“I don’t care, just tell me what you know.”

Gold stared at her unimpressed. “Regina is alive, if that’s what’s keeping that paranoiac look on your face.” He said, looking annoyed at the fact that Emma could care so much about someone. Emma, on the other hand, exhaled in relief. “Though she doesn’t know anything. She, this Regina, doesn’t know there is a piece of your Regina’s soul. Nobody here knows anything, in fact.”

“How come  _ you  _ do?” She had a feeling he would, but didn’t know why.

“Well, let’s say that being the dark one comes with its perks.” He smiled, and she looked away.

“Did I travel back in time? How can we have end up…  _ here _ ?”  _ In the freakin Roman Empire _ .

“No, you didn’t. Her soul was sent to different realms, not different time periods. Some realms simply develop in different ways. Some, perhaps slower.”  _ OK, well, at least that was answered. _

“How can I save her? I don’t want to stay here forever, how do I bring her back to Storybrooke?”

“I’m afraid that, a one of a kind fuck up comes with a one of a kind solution. I don’t know that much.” She rolled her eyes in exasperation, starting to think she had walked into a trap. Maybe she wouldn’t see Storybrooke again. Maybe Henry hadn’t just lost one mom, but both of them. “Though, if you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re on the right path.”

She was pinning him with her eyes at his point, feeling exasperated at her failure, and at the fact that she never knew when could be trusted. “How do you know that?”

He smiled, and for the first time Emma considered he maybe didn’t bite into her plan. He was contradicting himself, and looked pretty amused by the effect of his words on Emma. Maybe he wasn’t saying anything because he truly didn’t feel like it.

“Getting close to her. Smart.” She was about to protest, she was getting close to Regina because she  _ wanted _ to, not to use her, but she heard someone shouting her name.

They both turned to see Ruby walking towards them. “Emma! Here you are! Mary Margaret is waiting for you-” She noticed Gold. “Senator Gold,” She bowed and looked at Emma with a confused expression.

“I’ll be there in a second.”

“She wants you now. And she’ll start asking questions if you take any longer.” The way Ruby was eyeing Gold told Emma Ruby probably wanted to drag Emma away from Gold as well. 

She was about to protest, because after all Ruby was the one who had to listen to her, as fucked up as that felt to Emma, not the other way around. But Ruby looked suspicious, and Gold wasn’t giving her answers, and she didn’t want to drag more attention into this than she had to.

She sighed. “Fine. Let’s go.” She turned to Gold, and bowed. “Senator Gold, a pleasure to see you.” The words felt bitter in her mouth.

“Miss Nolan,” he said, nodding in her direction. Before Emma could walk away, dragged by Ruby who was eager to leave the shady man behind, he added: “I never thought I’d have to say this, but maybe consider following your heart.”

Emma cursed under her breath.

 

She recognized the girl watering the plants as they passed in front of a imposing looking white house on their way back. They extravagant garden and expensive looking house suggested wealth, as all the other house in the Nolan’s… neighborhood, if you could call it that. She had accompanied the Mills in their visit the previous night. 

A small light of hope lit in Emma’s chest after a long, frustrating, answerless day. 

She looked at Mary Margaret before she could think it twice, and asked: “Do you mind if I stay over at Regina’s for a while?” 

She wasn’t exactly  _ sure  _ this was their house, but she did see the girl leave with them, so that must mean something.

Mary Margaret looked at her suspiciously. “She invited you to come over?”

“Yeah…” Emma lied. She said she wanted to see Emma again soon, didn’t exactly say when, and Emma decided today was as good as any.

“Okay, then.” She said, still looking surprised at the sudden request. “Take Ruby. And I expect you back before the sunset. I don’t want you dealing with Cora alone.” She mumbled the last part.

Emma hopped off the carriage after kissing her mom on the cheek goodbye, and waited for Ruby to follow. She waited until the carriage was far enough before turning around. 

Ruby was staring at her suspiciously. “What?”

“Didn’t know you and Regina were back to being besties.” She shrugged.

Emma cursed at this realm’s Emma for letting that fall out happen. Unacceptable. In any realm.

Ruby waved at the girl Emma had recognized, and Emma didn’t even have to speak before the gates were being opened for them to walk in.

“Hey Mulan!” Ruby greeted the girl with a hug.

“Miss Nolan.” She bowed to Emma, and then hugged Ruby as if they were old friends.

Maybe they were. What did Emma know anyways.

“We’re here to see Regina.” Emma announced. 

Mulan nodded. “She’s in her bedchambers.” When Emma seemed uncertain, Mulan smiled. “Do you want me to walk you? I know it’s been a while.” Emma gave her an appreciative smile, and followed her into the house.

“I’ll stay here, if you don’t mind.” Ruby announced as Emma walked away.

The house was every bit as excessively neat and expensive looking as she pictured Cora’s house to be. It was decorated much like Emma’s house, every house around seemed to be the same for the blonde if she was being honest, except every piece of furniture and decoration seemed to have a purpose. A precise place. All the gold and all the colours seemed to be there to prove the family’s superiority. Or rather, the family matriarch’s superiority.

Even though Mary Margaret had made sure Emma was perfectly presentable before leaving the house, ‘ _ a consul’s daughter should show the people nothing but greatness _ ’, Emma felt the need to tidy her hair and her dress as she walked behind Mulan. 

They stopped in front of heavy wooden doors, much like the ones in her own bedchambers. 

One woman stood in front to the doors, where the two men would be back in Emma’s house. Mulan nodded at her, and she opened the doors.

Light coming from Regina’s room engulfed the darker hallway leading to the woman’s bedchamber.

The latter was decorated with shades of blue and white, baby blue silk hang from the bed’s headboard and covered the bed in the middle of the room. The doors on the opposite side of the room were opened, letting the light in, and giving access to a small garden at the back. In contrast to the rest of the house, the room was not decorated to look expensive and imposing, but soft and welcoming, still impossible tidy. With the bed and chairs perfectly done and put in what seemed to be strategic places, a bookshelf where the books were organised by height and colour, and all the decorations and tissues seemed to be colour coded, this room was so clearly Regina’s it made Emma’s heart clench. 

The brunette was looking up from her book, sitting by the opened doors leading to the gardens, starting with surprised at Emma as she scanned the room. 

Emma smiled like an idiot once she noticed her favourite pair of brown eyes were on her. “Hi..”

Regina smiled back, to Emma’s relief, looking pleasantly surprised with the blonde presence. “Hi.” She laughed when Emma stood petrified by the door. “Come on in.”

Emma obliged, looking back one last time at Mulan, as she walked away and the wooden doors closed behind her.

Regina was still staring at her when she looked back. “Are you going to stay there all day?” She asked, amused smile on her face.

Familiar with the game, Emma rolled her eyes and made her way to Regina.

“Hey.” She said, flopping on the chair opposite to where Regina was.

“Hey.” The brunette repeated, putting her book down, still not sure what to expect.

“I know you weren’t exactly expecting me, but we passed in front of your house and thought I would stop to say hi.” She explained.

“You walked by my house?” Regina raised a questioning eyebrow, though looking amused. “You always do. It’s the only way to yours.”

Emma felt her cheeks burn. “Well, I guess I just wanted to see you.”

Regina’s smiled softened, as did her eyes, dropping the amused grin for a tender, yet curious expression. She always seemed to look at Emma that way whenever the blonde said something even slightly soft.

“I wasn’t expecting that ‘soon’ to be so soon, but I’m glad you came over.” The brunette answered.

Her hair was loose today, long curls ran down her back beyond Emma’s vision, displaying all kinds of chestnut shades. She wore a simple red gown, clearly not planning to see anyone important that day, and, for the first time to Emma’s knowledge, choosing comfort over looks. It made her look the softest Emma had ever seen her, so carefree in contrast to the Regina she knew. A Regina whose every detail seemed to be carefully thought out. Emma loved that, but she felt mesmerized by the sight of such a relaxed version of the brunette. It was mesmerizing. The loose curls framing her face made her look even younger, and Emma decided this Regina could  _ not _ be the same age as the one she was trying to save. 

“Enjoying the view?” Emma realized she was staring a little too late, when Regina was already looking at her mockingly. 

 

_ God _ , she had spent so many years trying to be as subtle as possible back in Storybrooke, but here, in only two days, she had managed to get caught staring so many times she should probably feel embarrassed. 

 

And she would, if it wasn’t for the subtle glee in Regina’s eyes every time their eyes met afterwards.

“So what were you reading?” Emma asked, feeling a little more confident with her decision of coming over now that Regina’s expression showed the familiar contempt only Emma could bring out in her.

 

She didn’t really know how she had found herself in this situation, but as Regina’s hand covered hers, and the brunette’s breath ran down her neck due to their proximity, she wasn’t about to complain either.

“Yeah, just like that.” Regina’s voice sent thrills down Emma’s spine as she praised Emma’s work.

The blonde didn’t realized she was leaning into her touch when it was too late and Regina’s chest was pressed to Emma’s back, the warmth she brought with her welcomed by Emma. She knew she was playing with fire, but Regina was so amazingly gentle, Emma just didn’t want to move away.

The blonde had found out many things about Regina in this couple of hours they had shared. Emma recognized  _ her _ Regina in many of those things. Like the crazy amount of books Regina possessed, all in tidy order, of course. Or the smell of apples, which Emma had quickly realized was coming from the apple tree right outside her window. Or when Regina told her she took care of all the plants of her garden herself, and the blonde remembered all those weekend of helping Regina with her garden in the mansion back in Storybrooke.

But most of the time, Emma was amazed by the new Regina she was discovering. This Regina  _ painted _ , and laughed loudly, and most importantly, Emma’s favourite part, this Regina didn’t hesitate to touch Emma. Not in a sexual way, but just… touch. Light touches. Hands brushing, arm on her shoulder, taking her hand to guide her into the garden, standing so close their arms touched. Emma was both delighted and scared by the new advancement in their friendship, because it was increasingly hard to keep down all the emotions she refused to acknowledge every time their skin made contact. 

Back in Storybrooke, it was easy. Regina only gave her looks and smiles that made Emma’s heart flutter, but all she had to do was look away and breathe deeply to recover. They never touched, except for the occasional hug. It was the line neither of them dared to cross.

This Regina didn’t care, nor did she cared if Emma stared too long, or if their eyes met for a second too much, or the proximity they found themselves in as the brunette showed Emma how to paint.

“See? It’s not that hard.” Regina smiled, standing away, leaving Emma’s back to the cold afternoon breeze. The blonde shivered slightly, she was getting used to Regina’s warmth.

“Yeah, but it takes talent to make it look good.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. “Just practice.”

Emma settled the brush back down and looked around the room as they fell into a comfortable silence.

They had gone through everything in the room. Regina had talked about her book, showed Emma her collection, gave her a tour of the garden, made her taste one of the apples of her tree that made Emma miss home so much so her chest hurt until Regina brought her back inside to show her her paintings. They were beautiful, just like the painter herself, and when she praised them, Regina had offered to show her how she made the magic happen.

But now they had run out of things to talk, and as Emma turned around and saw the sky turn orange, she knew it was better time to get going.

“Thanks for welcoming me, even if I showed up uninvited.” The blonde smiled, “I had a great time.”

“Come back whenever you want. I’m really liking this reviving ‘our friendship’ thing.” Regina smiled and Emma smiled back, about to say her farewells, when Regina added, voice softening to almost a whisper: “I missed you.”

It took Emma by surprise. Never had she seen Regina be so open about her feelings. Sure, she had _ that  _ smiled that said more than any words could, and that look that made Emma feel so special she was getting addicted to it, and had ways of telling the people she loved that she loved them. But this words, this genuine look on her face that made Regina look so…  _ open  _ was a rare occasion.

“Me too.” Emma smiled, and really really wished she didn’t have to go, because, as cheesy as it sounded, she could’ve stayed with Regina in that room, just the two of them, forever.

 

The next week went by pretty quickly, between spending her days with Regina and worrying about her at nights, Emma hadn’t really noticed time fly by.

Just like that, it was market day again.

“I love these.” Regina said , picking up an exotic looking fruit in her hand.

“What is it?” Emma asked, by her side. 

Staring at fruits and vegetables wasn’t really her cup of tea, but taking walks with Regina had quickly become her favourite thing to do, so she had accepted anyway when Regina asked to go to the market with her the previous day, probably the only place they hadn’t yet visited.

“Here we call it passion fruit, but in my dad’s native land they call it granadilla. It’s really good. Taste it.” She opened it effortlessly and a bit of liquid with dark seeds in it.

She gave half to Emma and kept half. Emma watched her go, as Regina led her half to her lips and spilled its content into her mouth. She smiled at Emma as she chewed, looking like a child for a moment, happy to have a sweet.

Emma did the same, and furrowed her eyebrows at her unfamiliar taste.

Regina laughed, and cleaned the reminding of fruit on the corner of Emma’s lips with her finger. Emma looked at Regina as she brought her finger to her lips and swallowed the little bit of fruit. Emma swallowed as well. 

“Not your cup of tea?” She smiled.

“Not really.” Regina laughs.

After paying the merchant for the  _ granadilla _ , they kept walking around the central square of the city, where the market took place every week, decorating the place with all kinds of colours and smells. 

“They’re starting preparations for Lupercalia.” Regina pointed out as they crossed the square on their way back home.

Two men were setting up a small cupid statue in the middle of the square, as other brought in red and white tissues that would probably go on the walls of the buildings around.

“Are you excited?” Emma asked, not sure how they celebrated their version of St Valentine’s day.

“Not really. My mother it’s been very insisting on finding me a husband lately… it’ll probably give her more motivation she doesn’t need.” Regina commented bitterly.

Emma winced, knowing how much Regina hated marriage, the bitterness in her voice proof that it was yet another common point between the two Reginas. And Emma wasn’t the biggest fan of the idea of Regina being with someone else. 

“And that’s a bad thing?”

Regina looked at her incredulously for a second. “Of course.” 

Emma raised her hands in surrender. “Sorry, just asking.”

Regina sighed. “Yeah, I know, sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. You had no way of knowing.” 

“Would you mind telling me why?”

Regina looked at her, visibly considering what to say. “I’m just… not ready.”

Emma nodded. “I understand. I… I feel the same way.” 

Regina chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about that just yet. You’re still young.” Emma rolled her eyes. Regina couldn’t be 30 yet, she looked far from it. And Emma wasn’t  _ that  _ young. She didn’t really know how time worked here, but she was clearly close behind Regina. “Besides, your parents are not looking to get you out of the house as eagerly as my mother is.”

Emma’s heart clenched. “True. But hey, you can always come live with us.” She offered, in an attempt to make the brunette feel better. “Or we could get that house by the sea we’ve always been dreaming about.” 

Regina smiled, a small chuckle at the absurdity of the utopia they had created for themselves all those years ago, but then looked at Emma with a grateful look on her face. “That sounds lovely.” 

Emma beamed at the answer, part of her foolishly expecting for that to happen someday.

 

“What?” Regina smiled when she realized Emma was staring.

“I just like how you look when you focus. You look both determined and so peaceful. It’s lovely.”

Regina chuckled, and turned back to her painting. It was the apple tree by her window.

Emma was on Regina’s, comfortably sitting by a pile of pillows, reading the book Regina had declared was her favourite. Something about strong women loving each other, the main character reminded her of Emma.

It was astonishing how easily they had fallen in a routine. Everyday, Emma would join Regina at her house, and they would talk, laugh, sometimes fall into a comfortable silence just enjoying each other’s company. It always so easy.

Emma didn’t feel ashamed of being caught staring, Regina never seemed bothered by it, always responding to her with a sassy remark or a teasing look, so Emma didn’t deny herself the delight anymore.

“Careful, dear. If you don’t stop staring I’m going to start thinking you might be staring at something else.” She said, looking over her shoulder at Emma with a teasing smile.

Emma felt a rush of bravery. “I might be.” 

Regina turned back to her painting without glancing back at her, but Emma knew she saw a faint blush on the brunette’s cheeks and went back to her reading with an exhilarated heart beating rapidly in her chest.

 

When Regina told her they would go to a bath, she did expect it to be an actual  _ bath _ . Okay, that was maybe naive from her, but she was expecting maybe a pool. Or even a spa. But when Ruby was helping her out of her clothes, Regina by her side doing the same thing, Emma started to panic. 

She tried not to look at Regina, focusing on Ruby, as she helped Emma out of her gown as if it was the most common activity. As did Regina, who was already getting into what seemed a giant pool behind Emma.

Ruby only glanced back at her to smile at Emma and announced she would be waiting outside with Mulan, because apparently servants weren’t allowed in this particular bath.

When Emma finally had the courage to look at Regina, the brunette had turned her back to Emma. The blonde took a final breath before going in as well.

The water was warm, it almost burned Emma, but not quite. It was quite nice. Even though the water was as clear as it could be, Emma felt a little more protected once she was in, water up to her shoulders.

She joined Regina on the edge of the…  _ pool _ , because Emma couldn’t call it anything else, and kept her gaze elsewhere, like she was admiring the view and not avoiding Regina at all costs.

“It’s nice here.” She commented, really taking in the tall columns all around the pool, keeping the place steady, the white walls, and the nice scent of freshness, and even a little soap.

“It is.” Regina agreed, facing Emma this time, pressing her back to the edge of the pool.

Emma couldn’t decide if it was a curse or a blessing that they, along with Ruby and Mulan, were the only ones in the place. Probably both, more of a bittersweet situation, as it often happened when they were left together alone, even in Storybrooke.

“I can’t remember the last time I was here.” Regina said, oblivious to Emma’s panic.

“Me neither.” Well, it was true. She couldn’t. 

They fell into, an uncomfortable silence for Emma, but apparently comfortable silence for Regina. As she closed her eyes and relaxed into the warm water.

Emma looked away again, and made sure to keep her gaze elsewhere for what felt  _ hours _ .

“You okay?” 

Emma was startled by Regina’s voice when she finally spoke, several minutes later. “Uh, yeah, why?”

Regina raised an eyebrow, clearly not accepting Emma’s answer. “You don’t seem okay.”

“Well, I am.” She smiles tightly and looks away again.

Regina sighs. “Do you want me to do your back?” 

Emma almost swallowed her tongue as she looked at Regina, and then saw the soap bar on her hand and nodded, turning her back before the brunette could see her blush.

Emma was grateful Regina decided to go directly with the soap, and not with her hand, as Emma’s skin was already too sensitive, and the blonde was already painfully aware of the brunette’s proximity. 

It was over before Emma knew it, worries keeping her from enjoying the moment. Or at least relaxing.

“Who are you taking to Lupercalia?” Regina asked, resting her head on her crossed arms on the edge of the pool.

“I don’t know.” Emma replied, grateful only Regina’s back was visible now. “Do you want to come with me?” 

Regina stood up again, Emma eyes dropped to the water again. 

“Me? Are you sure?” The surprise in her voice made Emma look back at her with a, probably ridiculously, sweet smile on her face.

“Of course, why not?” 

Their eyes met, and Regina’s shone as she smiled back at Emma. “I would love to.”

The room was silent and with no one else in the room, Emma’s whole attention was on Regina. On her beaming smile, on her still dry, braided hair, on her eyes, looking a lighter shade of brown than usual because the water reflected the light on her. She had eyes only for Regina, feeling totally hypnotized by the brunette.

Her heart was beating so effortlessly in her chest, there was a cell in her body that wasn’t dancing with happiness at how Regina was looking back at her. As if Emma was the only thing that mattered in this world.

The moment was broken by other three women walking into the room. 

Emma looked away first, looking at the women walk in.

“Mulan thinks this year she will meet her spouse.” Regina commented.

Emma looked back at her, and all of a sudden became hyperly aware of her state. She looked at the wall behind the brunette’s face.

“So is Ruby.” Emma added. “Do you think they will?”

“I don’t know, I gave up on trying to understand the whole fate thing. I’m not sure I believe in it anymore. At least not for me. Things never seem to work out for me, and I’m not sure I will ever get to meet that someone. ” 

“Don’t think like that! I’m sure you will find someone you will be happy with.” Emma glanced at Regina for a moment, locking their eyes again and smiling to give her some comfort.

The only thing she hated more than the idea of Regina with someone, was Regina sounding as hopeless as she did in that moment. 

Emma focused on the waves she created with the movement of her hands for the rest of the conversation.

“I don’t think that was that big of a deal. There are plenty of women in this city. Beautiful women at that.” Regina said.

“None as beautiful as you.” It came out before she could stop herself, and Emma was grateful she was still looking down, her hair covering her face so Regina couldn’t see her blush.

“Really? You can’t even get yourself to look at me.” She said bitterly.

When Emma looked up, Regina was no longer staring at her sweetly at the blonde, but with that hurt look she had showed Emma in her first night here. 

“I- I-” Emma tried twice, but she didn’t even know what she was trying to say. Yes, she couldn’t get herself to stare at Regina, but not for that reason.  _ So  _ not for that reason. Quite the contrary, actually. “I was just looking at my hands.” Was all Emma could say in her favour.

“I know, you have been avoiding me for a good hour.” She didn’t seem in the mood for any more excuses, so Emma kept quiet. 

“I was just trying to distract myself.”

“Hope you did. Didn’t realize you were having such a terrible time.” She started to make her way back to where their clothes were still on chairs.

“Regina…” Emma took her hand and spun her around to look at her. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t bored. I  _ am  _ enjoying it, as I always do when I’m with you. It wasn’t for lack of interest.”

“Then what happened?” Regina asked, not judging this time, but genuinely curious.

“I-” Emma tried again, but nothing. She hoped her pleading look would be enough for Regina to understand Emma didn’t want to say it outloud.

Regina sighed. “Okay. I’m ready to go back.” 

And with that she turned around and really went for her clothes this time.

 

Emma felt terrible, as they walked back to their house in silence, Ruby and Mulan trailing behind them, oblivious to their situation. 

Regina didn’t look mad, but she did seem upset, which disheartened Emma even more.

The brunette hadn’t pushed anymore after Emma quietly pleaded her not to ask more, she obliged by going the other extreme and not even grazing Emma with a look. Barely looked at her when Emma asked if she was okay, and she replied with a tight smile and a nod.

Emma sighed, taking Regina by the arm to get her attention. “I’m  _ sorry _ . I didn’t mean to look uninterested, I really wasn’t.” 

“It’s okay.” Regina was looking at the ground.

“Not, it’s not.” Emma declared and stopped walking, Ruby and Mulan stopping as well, a couple of meters behind. She waited until Regina reluctantly looked up and met her eyes. “I’m  _ sorry _ .” Emma opted for the genuine look over words, because she knew it would convince Regina more than anything Emma had to say. 

The blonde knew Regina could read well enough into her to know she meant it. 

The brunette sighed. “Okay.” She smiled, accepting her apologies but the uneasiness of not knowing why Emma was acting so weird still visible. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I didn’t realize you wouldn’t like it.”

“I  _ wasn’t _ uncomfortable.” Regina was looking at her now, so when Emma said that, clear relief clouded her eyes. “You don’t make me uncomfortable.” Regina nodded in understanding, but visibly still felt like she had done something wrong. Emma sighed. Her hand slipped further down Regina’s arm, until she reach her hand. Emma took it in hers and squeezed it lightly, as Regina watched. “It was the opposite, actually.” She said, cheeks burning. Regina looked at her curiously, Emma still looking at their hands.

When Emma and Regina locked eyes again, Emma looked at her intently until understandment filled her eyes.

“Okay.” She nodded, her thumb brushing against the back of Emma’s hand a couple of times, sending tickles up her body.

“Okay?” Emma smiled innocently, and Regina chuckled.

“Yeah, all good.” Regina said, but didn’t let go of their hands.

  
  


“You did say you would be by my side for all of my life.” Regina said, a light chuckle escaping her lips.

“Well, maybe I intend to keep that promise.” Emma retorted, playing with the grass around them.

It was a warm afternoon, and they were in their daily meetup, sitting under the same olive tree they had stood under the first night.

“Well, you have 11 years you to make up for.” Regina replied.

“Fine, I will. You’ll see.” Emma shrugged. “It’s not  _ that  _ unrealistic, though. We can still be friends 50 years from now.” Emma looked at Regina, clear purpose in years eyes.

She wasn’t about to let anything different happen.

Regina sighed. “How do I know you won’t walk out again?” The question was more serious, not like the light banter they had going on seconds ago.

Emma looked directly at Regina, wanting to have her full attention. “I won’t make that mistake again. I would miss you too much.” It was heavy with truth and feelings Emma didn't usually share. But with Regina, it had gotten so incredibly easy to say what was truly in her heart, Emma had to to constantly keep herself from admitting… anything she wouldn’t say to her normal Regina. “Besides, I thought we had established I was a dumb kid.”

Regina chuckled again, and just like that, the heavy moment was gone. “Yeah, we did.”

Regina smiled at Emma, and put her hand on top of hers, which was still laying on the grass between them.

“But so was I. Maybe that’s why we fit so well together.”

Emma nodded. “Probably. And I like to think I know you better than anyone.” Perhaps it was a bold thing to say when you had only been hanging out with someone for a little over two weeks, but as Regina smiled, Emma knew she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“Yeah, you do.” Maybe Regina was counting the years of childhood friendship Emma did not remember.

“So, what would it take for you to accept to run away with me?” Emma asked, watching their hands, something that had become such a normal gesture between them, and yet Emma still cherished every time it happened.

“I don’t know. A house?” She looked at Emma jokingly. “I won’t settle for less.”

“Deal, a house by the sea. And a dog.”

Regina laughed this time. “Okay, but you take care of it.”

Emma shrugged. “Fine. So deal?”

Regina nodded. “As long as it’s far away from here.” She continued, “Pretty sure my mother might object, we better make sure she won’t find us.”

There was an unspoken ‘ _ far away so she’ll never force me back _ ’ in that comment, that Emma easily caught. 

“As far as you want.” She smiled, understanding in her eyes as squeezed Regina’s hand softly.

Regina felt her heart beam in her chest, as she melted into Emma’s touch. Or maybe it was Emma’s words that softened her, ressuring her that at least in her head there was an utopia where her mother would never be to make her miserable. And where Emma would be, always knowing what to say, always with soft caresses to make her feel safe.

“What will you tell your parents?” 

Emma shrugged. “That I’ll live with my best friend. They’ll understand. As long as I’m happy.”

“As long as you’re happy?” Regina repeated, not sure Emma understood the weight of those words.

“Yes. Not everyone is your mom.” Emma teased.

Regina chuckled, humourless, but not offended either. Emma looked at the sky; baby blue, clear summer sky, as Regina stared at her intently. “And what would make you happy?” 

“Well, it seemed like a good plan.” She replied, referring to their previous plan of the house by the sea.

“A house is all it takes to make you happy?” Regina smiled, teasing Emma.

“And a dog.” Emma corrected, with an amused smile on her face. But then her smile shifted, much more tender than teasing. “I mean, I’m happy with you.” She smiled, saying that as simply as if she was just sharing a fact with Regina.

“So am I.” 

Emma looked back at their hands, and turned her hand around to lock their fingers. It seemed so simple, and yet it made Regina feel a longing she wasn’t used to feeling. A longing that had been so easy to run away from when Emma was still not talking to her, only staring at her from across the table for so many years, and Regina could pretend it was just resentment for leaving her behind. But now, as they shared secrets and dreams of a future together, Regina found it quite cruel the way that feeling had rushed back to her all at once, leaving an empty space in her chest, Emma’s touch being the only relief she found for her new found loneliness.

Emma had a way of making Regina’s every cell seek her, wait for her light touches, and sweet words. Part of Regina wanted to tease Emma when she reminded her of their 11 year long quarrel, the other part genuinely wondering if that was something she needed to start preparing herself for.

“So I don’t have to worry about scaring an asshole kid away anymore?” Regina teased again, lightening the mood.

Emma’s thumb brushed against the back of her hand again. “No.”

Emma looked back up, focused on  the sky and she was oblivious of the fond brown eyes on her, and the feeling she left in Regina’s chest, who was feeling like the olympians had finally answered her prayers. Maybe it wasn’t in the way she had expected, not someone taking her away and making her forget about her childhood friend, who had left her heart broken so many years ago, or her mother, who never seemed to get enough of making her life impossible. But as a beaming blonde, who seemed to see through Regina better than Regina helsef could. Emma, who promised so many beautiful things, Regina couldn’t help but let herself hope for every one of them. Hope, even if she hadn’t allowed herself to even pronounce that word for as long as she could remember. Emma just seemed to bring it with her as she came in and out of Regina’s life.

 

The central square was decorated with red and white and gold. The statue of Cupid in the middle of the whole thing had a vase by his feet filled with little red papers everyone seemed to be putting in, Emma wasn’t sure why.

The place was  _ packed _ with people. Even on market day there weren’t as many, but today, people of all ages were enjoying the festivity.  _ Enjoying _ , Emma wasn’t sure of how, when her stomach was still protesting from the sacrifice she had had to witness earlier that morning by the temple. A goat for Goddess Venus to bless this year’s alliances.

Emma’s breakfast threatened to spill out of her throat.

She focused on the brunette walking by her side, instead.

“You don’t seem as excited.” Emma commented, looking at Regina as she admired the decoration and the people with a neutral face expression.

Regina shrugged. “I’m not.”

Emma sighed, she knew why exactly, and felt her heart respond to the thought by sinking a little more in her chest. “Yeah, I know. But maybe try to enjoy the festivities? Worrying about it won’t change your mom’s plans…” 

“I know, but it’s hard to enjoying anything when my mom is probably already planning how to send me away with the first bastard that promises higher status.” Regina said bitterly.

Emma took Regina’s hands in hers and turned to face Regina. “Hey, it’ll be okay.  _ If _ you’re mom really is doing that,” Regina raised her eyebrow, because they both knew that was the case and there was no point in denying it, “we’ll figure something out, I promise.” Regina didn’t look convinced just yet, so Emma pressed. “You’re not alone anymore. We have a house and a dog to get, anyways. The sooner we start, the better.” Emma smiled when the teasing finally got Regina to roll her eyes and smile.

“Very well, I’ll ‘enjoy the festivities’ with you.”

Around them, groups of friends and entire families celebrated the day with wine and dances. It all felt so welcoming, Emma’s heart beamed, feeling almost at home for the first time in weeks. Neither Snow, nor anyone else, had been over the moon when Emma announced  Regina was joining them for Lupercalia. It wasn’t the fact that Regina was joining, but the fact that Cora would follow. It was a family holiday after all. And a holiday the woman couldn’t waste in her pursuit of a husband for her daughter.

Now Snow was forced to have a superficial conversation with a woman pretty much everyone hated. 

Blonde offered her arm to the brunette again, and they made their way back to the middle of the square, where Ruby was putting one of the little red papers in the vase.

“What is she doing?” Emma asked, as both ladies looked from a far the line of people waiting to do just the same, Regina a little more judging than Emma, who was still clueless.

“Putting their names in to be picked by their future spouse…” Regina said as if it was obvious, looking at her with curiosity.

“Ah, of course.” Emma nodded, pretending it was just a blip in her memory.

Regina nodded again, and looked away, curiosity still on her face.

“You don’t want to put your name in?” Regina asked Emma after a few seconds of silent judgement.

“Not, really. Thought you said I was still young.” They blonde looked back at her friend and smiled. 

“For an arrangement, yes.” Regina nodded. “But you don’t want to find the love of your life with the blessing of a goddess?” Regina said, partly mocking the phrase they had been hearing from everyone for the past week.

“No… I’m not ready to be with anyone.”  _ Else _ , but Emma made sure not to say the last part out loud, only allowing herself to lock eyes with Regina and hoping she would leave it at that.

Regina nodded. “We’re okay like this.” She shared the tender look on Emma’s face.

“Yeah, we are.”

 

“Honey, you’re not making the line?” Snow asked when the sun was setting and a long line was formed in front of the statue. 

It was time for everyone to pick a name and meet the love of their lives.

“No, mom. Not this year.” Emma said, not thinking much about it, still looking at the hopeful people in the line.

“But you were so excited about Lupercalia!” Snow replied, surprised at the sudden change of plans.

This time Emma did look at her, because, how would she explain this to Snow? Apparently her plans were very different to the ones this realm’s Emma had. 

She didn’t want to meet a stranger and suddenly having to pretend to like each other because a goddess supposedly said so. She didn’t want to  _ leave  _ because it was always the women living with their husband. She didn’t want to leave  _ Regina _ . She didn’t want to be with anyone but Regina.

Sure, it wasn’t exactly written on stone if you picked a name… but this people seemed to take it very seriously anyways, so Emma decided against it. Putting her name in was just a line she wouldn’t cross, not this year at least. Not while she was still in this realm. So much so, Emma had made an invisible line around the statue that she had avoided to cross during all the time they had been there.

Regina looked like she would rather watch paint dry as she stood beside Cora and they talked to a family they had met a few hours prior. The family was wealthy and they came from another city nearby Emma couldn’t even bother to remember, all she knew is that they looked important and they had three sons. Cora set her eyes on them immediately, and dragged Regina with her.

Emma couldn’t take her eyes off them, hoping they would say the wrong thing and Cora would give up. Hoping they would be picked soon and Regina could come back to her, instead of being stuck with people who would probably never even appreciate her as much as she deserved. 

Emma growled, rolled her eyes, and decided to distract herself conversing with her mother in the meantime. 

“Not anymore…” When Emma looked back at Mary Margaret, she was already staring at her with an intensity that made Emma just slightly uncomfortable.

Mary Margaret turned to the direction Emma had been looking at, her eyes running over the scene playing not too far from them, looking at Regina with the same intensity she had looked at Emma with. And then stared back at Emma like she was processing the expression of frustration the blonde was trying to hide. 

The blonde could feel her heart racing as Mary Margaret sighed, looking back at Regina one last time. 

“I see.” She said simply, understanding in her eyes when she finally looked back at her daughter.

Emma nodded quickly and smiled, not daring to look at her mother for too long, in fear that she would understand too much, and left, deciding to spend her time with David instead, who would probably just be content to have her there.

 

Emma felt better when Regina finally got back to her. The picking names nonsense had already begun, the large crowd cheering as every person said the name they had picked out loudly. 

Everyone around her cheered, Emma tried to as well, but the conversation with her mother still in her head, she couldn’t pretend  for too long and instead sat down on a bench not too far from their group.

Regina sighed as she sat down. “My mother is a nightmare.”

“And mine is all in my business.” Emma commented, annoyed.

Regina chuckled. “Seems like someone had an even worse time than I did…”

Emma looked back at Cora, who was talking with the mother of the three boys who could become Regina’s future husband, one of them looking at Regina with an odd smile on his face that made Emma roll her eyes. The brunette wasn’t even aware they were still there.

“Yeah.” Emma simply said, looking as she pressed her fingers tightly together.

“Hey, are you okay?” Regina out her hand on Emma’s, separating the blonde’s hands and taking one in her own. 

“Just… wondering.” Wondering about what exactly she was doing here, what she had accomplished, what she was  _ trying  _ to accomplish, both to save Regina, and  _ with _ this Regina. There was no point in pursuing something she had never had the courage to pursue in the years she had been in Storybrooke, and most importantly, something she would have to leave behind when she found a way out of this realm. If she ever did.

Spending most of the time in the comfortable bubble Regina and Emma seemed to create when they were together wasn’t getting her anywhere.

Emma made a mental note to harass Gold for more information, so she could get out of here quickly and hopefully she wouldn’t have to attend a wedding she dreaded.

“Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you so much?” Regina’s eyes soften as she looked at Emma, starting to look tired after a whole day under the sun and walking around the city to celebrate the festivities.

“Maybe another time.” Emma replied, her own tired smile and pleading eyes, convincing Regina to leave the subject.

“Okay, then.” The brunette replied, brushing her thumb, making invisible patterns on Emma’s hand, a gesture that had become oh so familiar between them.

Emma looked at this Regina, who always seemed to be ready to give out all the tenderness Emma would need, whose tender features made her look both so different and so alike her own Regina, and who Emma had grown so close to in such a short time. She sighed.

“Do you think it’ll take much longer before we can head home?”

Regina faked a pout. “You want to leave already?” 

“I promise I will be so early at your door tomorrow, you won’t even have the time to properly wake up before you have to deal with me again.” She chuckled.

Regina laughed as well. “Okay, I will be waiting, then. Don’t let me down.”

“Never.” Emma smiled, and a yawn escaped her lips.

Without saying anything, Regina guided the blonde’s face to her shoulder and rested her hand softly on Emma’s cheek. The blonde allowed herself to sink into Regina embrace, probably the first time in her life that she allowed herself to be this close to Regina without drowning herself with her own thoughts and worries. Emma closed her eyes and welcomed the fresh breeze of the nights as it hit her face, the cold waking her up a little bit, but Regina’s heat keeping them both at just the right temperature.

Emma sighed again. Maybe she could allow herself a little more time in this peaceful bubble of theirs before starting the exhausting search back home.

She opened her eyes again and glanced at the large crowd in front of her, all too busy trying to charm their new acquaintances to notice the two women staring at them. 

The three infamous brothers caught her eyes again, finally looking bored as the conversation between their mother and Cora seemed to go on forever. They looked nothing like their mother, which was shame, because the woman was truly the only person worth charming in that house. The mother was too worried on what Cora was saying to notice to notice Emma staring at her intently, from Regina’s shoulder. Emma’s eyes felt attracted to the woman’s left like it was being pulled by an invisible force. When Emma finally looked over the boys’ mother’s shoulder, her eyes unexpectedly met Cora’s.

She kept talking to the woman in front of her, the smile on her lips still in place, almost making you believe everything was alright, but her eyes betraying her as she looked at Emma with venom in her eyes. Emma wasn’t sure how to react, and for many seconds she stayed there, looking back at Cora with confused and slightly fearful eyes.

Cora looked back at the woman she was talking to and waved goodbye, as she left with her three sons. It was then, and only when everyone but Emma had turned their back to Regina’s mother, that Cora allowed her face and her eyebrows to furrow as she stared Emma down from a distance. 

 

When Cora had finally rejoined the group, made of Emma’s parents, Henry Sr, the servants that accompanied the two families and the few friends that had gathered around, Emma thought she had jumped to conclusions too fast.

Cora just  _ looked _ like she was ready to kill at all times, didn’t mean she meant to everytime.

So, when the woman walked past Regina and Emma and started a conversation with the important looking people already talking to her parents, Emma exhaled in relief. She really had thought her moment was coming.

By the time they stood up to leave, making their way across the central square to the road leading to both mansions, Emma had forgotten about the weird staring game she had had with Cora.

She had the misfortune of being reminded when Mary Margaret and David stopped to salute a group of wealthy patricians coming from other cities for today’s festivities, a voice that made both Regina and Emma cringe as she approached.

“Regina, sweetheart, how about you accompany your dad? You know a pretty face is always welcomed.” Cora’s eyes didn’t really leave Regina the choice to say no.

Still, the brunette looked at Emma for a couple of seconds, hesitating. When Emma swallowed and nodded, Regina reluctantly walked away. 

Emma inhaled sharply, bracing herself. 

“Emma… Didn’t know you were back to being friends with my daughter.” She smiled, Emma didn’t give into the smiling game.

“Yes, well, maybe if you payed more attention to your daughter you would’ve noticed before.” 

Cora chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Well, well, haven’t you grown some character these last few years.” She laughed for a few seconds, not once breaking eye contact with Emma, and finally settled back into her mean looking expression. “A little spoiled brat won’t tell me what to do or not do with my daughter. I have raised a perfectly rounded woman who is destined for great things.”

Emma raised an eyebrow as well, refusing to let Cora intimidate her.

“Regina raised herself, Cora. You have no credit for her upbringing. All you did was terrify her.” 

She chuckled again. “And how would you know? You weren’t there for most of it.” Emma recognized the same argument Regina had used to push her away the first night, not that surprised to see she had copied them from Cora. Emma said nothing, because it was true and she hated herself for it for a moment. “I do have to say, I didn’t expect you to bother us again so soon. Thought I had scared you enough.” She said, this time with true bitterness in her voice and not just looking to scare Emma.

Emma raised an eyebrow, trying her best to hide her surprise, at the same time trying to look bothered to Cora but she knew she was in the disadvantaged end of the situation. She was, once again, fighting blindly. 

Except she was starting to make an idea of what had happened. She knew Regina and Emma’s sudden fall out didn’t make sense. Not when it felt so right being with her, not when Regina was so fond of their memories together, not when there was not a realm where Emma didn’t want to be by Regina’s side. It did make sense now that Emma added Cora into the equation. 

But  _ why _ ?

“Well, you thought wrong.” Emma felt actual embarrassment at the middle school like reply, but it was all she could come up with. Damn this woman and her power to scare all words from her mouth. “Why do you insist on making Regina so miserable?”

“I don’t want to make Regina miserable.” For a second she looked hurt, but quickly enough Emma realized it was annoyance, rather than hurt. “It is merely an unfortunate step I have to take to push her in the right direction. As I said, Regina is destined for great things.” Cora scanned Emma from head to toes with an unimpressed expression. “ _Much_ greater things. She’s just lost, and needs a bit of guidance. That’s why I need you to stay away from her. Or do I need to threaten sending her away again?”

“Where exactly would you send her?” Emma wanted it to sound like she was questioning Cora’s arguments, but she felt actually anxiety start flooding her chest.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Cora laughed again. “Stay out of my daughter’s life. If you love her, let her have the destiny she deserves. You’re holding her back.”

Emma stared at Cora with the same ferocity she was staring at Emma. “What do you mean?” She said through gritted teeth.

“I’m not stupid, dear.” Emma cringed hearing Regina’s pet word in Cora’s mouth. “I know how you looked at her.” Mild embarrassment and vulnerability invaded Emma at being caught by  _ Cora _ of all people, and Mary Margaret the same day. “And the way she looks at you,” Cora’s words caught Emma’s attention back in a second. “You’re dragging her down with you into whatever it is that you girls have. You’re not kids anymore. This… this stupid fascination you have with each other is no longer acceptable. She was better off when you refused to talk to her.”

“She was  _ miserable _ .” Emma argued, having heard Regina’s casual comments here and there about how lonely she had felt during Emma’s absence in her life, before catching herself and changing the subject. 

“At first, yes. But she quickly understood love was weakness and was  _ finally  _ working towards a better future. A future she deserves. With someone who will give her the greatness she deserves. No attachments that can bring her down if one day that person decides to walk away. I taught her a valuable lesson.”

Emma would’ve punched the old woman in the face, had Mary Margaret not called her name saying they were leaving. 

Emma pretended to smile as she told her mom she would be on her way, and looked at Cora again. The woman was already looking at her with a ferocity that almost made Emma step back a little.

“Stay away from her.”

“Or else?” Emma met her eyes with the same intensity, though she didn’t have anything to threaten Cora with, the desperation to defend Regina burning her inside out.

Cora laughed. “You don’t want to find out. Unless you want to cross the continent next time you want to see her.”

Emma groaned and turned away, towards her parents, who seemed oblivious of their interaction and walked towards Regina, who was trailing behind her dad, eyeing her mother with a murderous look on her face. 

Her face shifted to worry the second Emma reached her side. “What did she say?”

Emma shook her head. “Not now. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” They were too close to their parents and to many more people Emma didn’t even know. It wasn’t the place to share that conversation.

Cora walked past them with a venomous smile. Regina was looking at her mother with more anger than Emma had managed in all of the conversation.

Emma gently took her hand, hiding it from Cora even if she was too far ahead to see, brushed her thumb in soothing circles. “Threats.” Emma whispered. “But I’ll tell you tomorrow, we’re safe for now.” 

Henry Sr put his arm around his daughters shoulders and Regina had no choice but to nod at Emma and wait for the next morning.

 

She hugged Regina tightly that night, just in case. With the resentment and fear she felt towards Cora fueling too many scenarios in Emma’s head, she needed a little reassurance that Regina would be okay. Or that at least that she was now. So, when they were in front of the Mills’ mansion and everyone was saying their goodbyes, Emma avoided Cora and instead took Regina in her arms promising to see her first thing in the morning.

Emma met Cora’s displeased eyes and closed her own. Regina seemed to understand it was better to just go with the flow and held Emma back in a tight embrace before letting go with a sigh. When Emma finally opened them again, Cora grinned at her mischievously and shook her head disapprovingly.

When the Mills disappeared into their house, Mulan and two other girls she didn’t know trailing behind them, Emma felt a knot in her stomach, wondering what exactly Cora was capable of.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma left her house as soon as her parents allowed it. She was prepared to sneak into Regina’s house, now knowing it as well as her own after countless afternoons of hanging out there with the brunette while her parents were in the city. As soon as her parents were too far away to see her, she shoot through the hallways almost running out of the house, but the second she stepped out she found herself face to face with a very upset brunette.

Emma stumbled back into the house, surprised. “Regina?”

“Emma!” Regina threw herself into the blonde’s arms, who accepted her gladly and whose mind immediately started racing with questions.

The brunette hid her face in the crook of Emma’s neck, face hidden by long blonde hair Emma had neglected that morning in her rush to get out, and tightened her embrace. Emma pulled her close and exhaled, knowing something was wrong, but still immensely relieved Regina was close to her again and, most importantly, safe. 

After several moments of silence, Regina grabbed Emma’s shoulders either to keep the blonde close as she pulled back from the hug, or to steady herself. Emma didn’t know which one it was. 

She could finally look at Regina’s face, and it was more unsettling than Emma had expected.

Regina looked both agitated and extremely disheartened. 

“Can- can we talk? Inside?” She looked at Emma pleadingly, and even if Emma wasn’t already planning on talking to Regina, she wouldn’t have been able to decline after seeing the desperate look on the brunette’s face. “Or were you going somewhere?”

“No, I was actually on my way to your house. I didn’t sleep last night at all, I was worried about you. Did Cora do something to you?” Emma’s voice deepened when she said the last part, looking at Regina for wounds.

“Can we go inside?” Regina’s voice cracked and Emma felt cold spread through her body when Regina didn’t deny it.

“Yeah, of course.” She took Regina’s hand and guided her back to her room, not even glancing at the servants they crossed and waiting until August and Neal closed the door of her bedroom to speak. “What happened? Did she hurt you?” Emma knelt before Regina, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, and grabbed both her hands to bring her the comfort Emma always felt when Regina did just that.

“She’s going to send me away Emma.” Regina sniffled, eyes turning red quickly as tears gathered there, apparently not for the first time this morning. “She- She made a deal, she’s going to-” Regina’s face twisted into disgust, “she’s going to give me to  _ them _ .” 

“To whom?” Emma was starting to regret pushing Cora’s limit the previous night by sticking to Regina’s side. She had done it partly because she underestimated what Cora meant by ‘stay away’, and out of defiance to the woman. “What do you mean send you away?” Emma heard the desperation in her voice as she said the last part.

“A marriage proposal.” She murmured looking at their joined hands on her lap. “The idiots from yesterday made a proposal. She wants me to marry the oldest one, Robin.” She looked back up, the despair in her eyes made Emma’s stomach twist. “She already accepted, Emma. She wants me to stay with them until the wedding and then- then there’s no way out.”

Emma let herself fall back on the floor, now sitting by Regina’s side instead of kneeling. She held the brunettes hands like her life depended on it, their hands growing cold. She shouldn’t be that surprised. Cora  _ had  _ warned her she would send Regina away, and they already knew her 25 year old daughter was getting old to her eyes, pushing Regina to get a husband as soon as she could.

“How much time before you leave?” Emma asked, barely audibly. 

“I don’t want to leave.” A quiet voice declared next to her, nothing like Regina’s usual voice. 

The vulnerability in her voice making Emma put herself back together. She had to help Regina out of her worst nightmare. In the weeks they had been together Emma had learned many things, one of them being the absolute denial from Regina’s part to depend on a man. 

Emma stood up, pulling her hands from Regina’s to instead place them softly on Regina’s cheeks. “You won’t. Okay? We’ll find a way.” 

Regina nodded, looking up at her, her hopelessness starting to morph into into determination. Still, tears fell slowly from her eyes. For a second, Emma wished  _ her  _ Regina was there with her, she would know what to do. She always did. 

The thought left guilt all over Emma’s heart. Regina needed her now. Emma could be the supporting pillar she needed at least this once. She was her friend, a friend who had forgiven Emma after she left her, and a friend who had had her back many times back in Storybrooke. A friend who she had grown to love and now couldn’t stand to see so upset.

Emma took a couple of deep breaths and decided she wouldn’t let her mind slip back into fear until this whole thing was behind them.

“I’m here, and I promised I won’t leave you anymore.” Her words struck Emma the second she said them.  _ Leave _ . Regina raised a questioning eyebrow as Emma’s face lightened with hope again. “I won’t leave without you this time.”

Regina looked at her for a couple of heartbeats before her eyes cleared with understandment. “You want to leave? Where would we go?” 

“To the south.” She replied, already starting to make a plan in her head.

The infamous Nolan house, somewhere in the south of the city, where this realm’s Emma had spend some time in before Emma had woken up in this realm. She didn’t remember where it was or how far away, but she hoped it would be far enough to lose Cora.

“To your parent’s summer house?” 

“Yes, exactly. Do you think Cora will come after us there?” Emma asked

“Uh, maybe? I don’t think she knows where it’s located in the first place. Your parents bought it not that long ago, we haven’t had the chance to see it yet.” Regina’s tears were drying now, her face looking more like the Regina she knew, determination shaping her features into a sharper looking version of herself. 

“Okay, perfect. Will she be looking for you today?” 

“Don’t think so. She probably knows I came here. Don’t think she will come after me. I think she already made enough damage for today, even for her.”

“Stay here with me. I’ll send for my mother.” Emma said, already walking to the door, ready to call Ruby. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” The blonde smiled as reassuring as she could manage before walking out her bedroom with a beating heart threatening to break out of her chest.

 

Mary Margaret was looking at her with a concerned look as Emma explained the situation to her. Her mother’s wrinkles were deepened as she stared back and forth from Regina back to her daughter while they explained what the problem was. 

“So you want to go and stay at the summer house?” She asked once Emma was done explaining.

“Yes.” Regina replied, speaking for the first since greeting Mary Margaret. “If you don’t mind. I- I know our families relations have been purely-” she stopped and looked at Emma, “mostly political, but I would be really grateful if-”

“Regina, you know you’re welcomed here whenever you want or need it.” Mary Margaret interrupted, sounding matter of factly. “We’ve known you almost your whole life, you’re very dear to both David and I. Of course we’ll to help you.”

Regina looked surprised for a second, clearly not expecting a green light so quickly, as was Emma. “I- well, thank you.” She smiled, and Mary Margaret smiled back, as warmly as she ever did to Emma.

“Have you girls eaten breakfast yet?” She stood up and straighten her dress. When both of them shook their heads, she sighed. “How about we go eat something, and we’ll wait until David comes for lunch to discuss this better?” 

Regina nodded and Mary Margaret looked at Ruby, who had been standing by the doorway aster she came back with a worried Mary Margaret, so she would lead the way to the dining room. 

Mary Margaret waited until Regina walked out of the door to stop Emma, holding her arm to stop her. Emma turned around expecting to hear more questions, maybe questions Mary Margaret didn’t want to ask in front of Regina, but instead she found her mother looking at her with tenderness. 

“Is this about you and Regina?” She softly asked. Emma’s eyebrows shot to her hairline. “Did she find out about you guys?” 

“Us?” Emma asked, almost lost, if it wasn’t for the suggesting look on her mother’s face. “There- there is no us.” Emma whispered. The words brought a sour taste to her mouth.

“Emma…” Mary Margaret insisted, cupping her cheeks and smiling. “I see how you look at each other.”

“Mom…” Emma whispered. She wanted to stop Mary Margaret, not because she was awfully wrong about the nature of her and Regina’s relationship, but because it hurt Emma to hear all the hopes she had had for years said out loud. Part of her was scared that it would sound ridiculous, or just impossible. “Don’t.”

Mary Margaret seemed to finally understand what Emma was pleading her with her eyes, an odd look on her own eyes. She looked sorry for Emma.

“When you were younger, remember how you use to be glued to each other’s side all the time? You always understood each other…” She looked intently at Emma. “That’s something you should hold onto, forever. Having that special someone in your life is worth every sacrifice.” Emma nodded, that, she could promise she would do. “You love her, don’t you?” She asked, no judgement or accusation in her voice, just looking for a confirmation of something she already knew.

Emma nodded again, there was no point on hiding it from her. “Yes.”

Mary Margaret kissed her forehead. “You dad and I will always support you, no matter what. We’ll get you girls out of here before… that woman does something crazy.” As they made their way to the dining room, Mary Margaret took Emma’s hand in hers. “Just promise you will be brave for me…” Emma nodded. Brave against Cora? She promised herself to do that. Brave against all adversities that she could meet while away from them? She had Regina with her, she was certain she could do that. “And you will figure things out with her. You deserve to be happy, and I know she makes you happy.”

Emma didn’t have time to reply. They were at the dining room before she could realize it, Regina waiting for them as she moved a few grapes around her plate. She looked up at Emma as the blonde walked in, still taking aback by her mother’s unexpected request, and met her with a smile. Emma smiled back and sat on the chair next to the brunette, who took her hand under the table and suddenly, even if the worry was still clear on Regina’s face, Emma a peace she never thought she would feel after admitting her feelings for Regina out loud for the first time. 

 

After that, David and Mary Margaret didn’t question it once. Before sunset both Emma and Regina were on a carriage with Ruby, Mulan and a couple of other servants close to them on their way to the summer house, which was located in an area commonly known as the Enchanted Forest. 

After Ruby brought Mary Margaret back with her, she had been tasked to collect as much as she could  of Regina’s things with the help of Mulan. They had managed to get it back home before Cora came back from the Senate with Henry Sr and they were on the way the second they had put it all in the carriage.

Mary Margaret had cried while she hugged Emma goodbye, David kissed her on the forehead and promised to visit as soon as they could. Then, they held Regina tightly and promised hey would handle Cora when she found out about the whole thing. Regina didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to her dad, as Cora was always glued to his side, basically controlling everything he did and they wanted to leave before it got too late and she got suspicious at Regina’s absence. 

Wither everything they had to get ready before leaving, Regina and Emma only had time to really process the day once they were almost out of the city.

Regina’s sniff startled Emma. She looked over at the brunette sitting next to her, looking out of the window, and took her hand in hers. 

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. My parents will deal with your mom, and we’ll be safe while they whole thing settles. Everything’s going to be alright.” Emma smiled as convincingly as she could while Regina looked at her, tears in her eyes.

“I know,” she smiled too, “it’s just that today has been so eventful it’s… hard to process.” 

As gently as she could manage, Emma guided Regina’s head to her shoulder and then put her arm around her shoulders to keep her close. “Take your time.”

It was the last thing said for a while. Emma almost thought Regina had fallen asleep when sighed next to her. “Thank you,” she looked up at Emma, “for doing this. You really didn’t have to.”

“That’s what friends are for..” Emma took Regina’s hand again, because she could really not get enough of the physical contact now that she had crossed that line. “Anytime.”

“I’m glad I have you in my life, Emma.” There was a light in the brunette’s eyes, Emma wasn’t sure if it was the tears reflecting the light of the sunset or the little they always got when Regina felt contempt. 

“I’m glad I have you too.” Their eyes didn’t leave each other for many seconds. More than they should’ve in a normal situation if they didn’t want to make the moment a  _ thing _ they would either awkwardly laugh off or ignore. But with this Regina, Emma realize, those moments didn’t exist. They could hold hands just because she felt like it, could look at each other for as long as they wanted, and give into the many little touches Regina made so casual, like running her fingers through Emma’s hair as often as she could. 

Then Regina sighed. “I’m sure I’ve brought you more problems than anything else in these past few weeks.” Then she smiled weakly and Emma wanted to deny it, but Regina shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t blame you for leaving.” Something in Emma’s chest twisted, both Regina’s words and the way she didn’t even dare to look at Emma anymore, instead scanning their joined hands, made her heart sink. “I didn’t tell you this before, because I have to admit I was hurt when you suddenly didn’t want me anymore, but… I know I’m a lot. I come with a lot of baggage.” 

Emma sighed this time, brushing her thumb on the back of Regina’s hand. If she knew.. if she only knew how much Emma was ready to do for her, she would know running from Cora was nothing in comparison.

“We all do.” She said. Regina looked up, clearly ready to argue, but Emma stopped her. “I ran at the first obstacle. I always do. It’s just… my first reflex. I hate it, but… I do. And yet you forgave me and we found something beautiful thanks to that.” She smiled and lifted their hands slightly to confirm what she meant. “You have a crazy mom, so what.”

“A crazy and very dangerous one.” Regina said, not a trace of teasing in her voice. They both knew Cora was way beyond the ‘intense mom’. “She’s probably going to find us anyways, you know? She- She uses magic. I don’t know how much she knows, but she will probably use it to find us. Maybe hurt you.” 

Emma prayed the years of training under her Regina’s supervision would pay off if that did happen. It had already been six years since she found out she had magic and about three since she started learning how to properly use it. It was probably nothing next to the Cora in her own realm, but here, where magic was an hidden thing most people didn’t really believe in, Emma hoped it would be enough to keep them safe. 

“We will be okay, I promise.”

“How can you know…” Regina sighed in desperation, the frustration of putting them both at risk starting to show. “What can we do against that? I know  _ nothing _ about magic. And neither do you.” Emma remained silent. “...Do you?” 

Emma shrugged. “Maybe more than you think.”

Emma scanned Regina’s face looking for fear, or disbelief, but she remained calm, or as calmed as she could considering the situation. Emma squeezed her hand, hoping she would understand she was safe with Emma.

“When did you learn?” Curiosity took over her quickly enough.

“I can’t tell you.” Emma met her eyes. “But I promise it’s safe. It’s light magic.”

Regina looked thoughtful for a few moments, but eventually nodded.

 

It was a small hostel, barely equipped to receive five people at a time. The night had set and they couldn’t afford to look around for others, as the night was dangerous and they were already tired enough, so Emma found herself cornered between the wall and Regina in the small bed they shared before she even knew it.

The lights were off relatively early, the only noise she could hear were the crickets and the leaves being pushed by the wind. 

The only things in the small room they had rented for the night were the double bed, if one could call such a small bed double, a night table, a lamp and chair. It was good none of them were claustrophobic as this room was small enough to freak one out.

This time, when the brunette next to her sighed, Emma wasn’t surprised she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep.

“Can’t sleep?” She asked, facing the wall with her back to Regina so she wouldn’t accidentally wake up spooning her. 

With a blush on her cheeks, Emma realized she wouldn't have minded cuddling with the brunette. The awkward moment afterwards was the one Emma was avoiding like the plague, so she laid still in her half of the bed.

“Nope…” Regina sighed again.

Shifting sounds echoed in the room until Emma felt Regina’s breath on the back of her neck, indicating the brunette was facing her now. Emma did the same.

“Hey.” She smiled shyly when she found herself only a couple of inches away from Regina’s face.

“Hey…” they brunette smiled back. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Not really, but better.”

“Thinking about your mom again?” 

“Not really…” Regina admitted. “I’m just wondering about what’s going to happen now.”

“What do you mean?” Emma had assumed they would stay hidden in the house for as long as necessary, and honestly kind of, foolishly, hoped it would become their permanent arrangement.

Regina started softly tracing patterns on Emma’s wrist. “I mean, let’s say my mom doesn’t come after us. What do I do afterwards? Where am I supposed to go?”

“Why do you want to go so badly?” Emma joked, but when Regina met her eyes with no trace of humour in her own, Emma’s smile dropped. “What do you mean where will you go? You can stay with me, you know that. As long as you want and as long as you need.” 

Regina smiled. Not as happy as Emma would have hoped, but it was something. “I can’t stay with you forever, you have your own life. I’m going to have to find a solution at some point.”

“But there’s no rush. I don’t  _ want  _ you to go. If it takes you ten years to figure it out, then so be it. I mean it, you can stay with me as long as you need to. We can make a life there, the south sounds like fun… or we can eventually go back to my parent’s house. Or we’ll figure something out together, but you don’t  _ need  _ to go anywhere.”

Regina’s fingers found their way to Emma’s hair again. “Thank you.” The tender smile she had now making Emma’s heart swell. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” She whispered, and Emma’s heart longed so much to close the distance between both of them, Emma had to look away from the intense brown eyes to make sure she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Like ruining the moment.

“It’s alright. And hey, it’ll be the first promise we make happen. The house in the south…” The blonde smiled.

“Are you asking me to move in with you, Miss Nolan?” Regina asked teasingly.

“Well,” Emma swallowed hard, unsure of how to get herself out of this one without embarrassing herself. She found nothing. “I- you know, if you want-”

Regina chuckled. “I’m kidding, Emma.”

Emma laughed too. “Okay.”

They settled in a comfortable silence, Emma closed her eyes and focused on the warm feeling growing in her chest as Regina ran her fingers through her hair. They didn’t move, enjoying the moment and the closeness they share in the dark. It was easier in the dark. Something about that time of the day that made words and feelings and situations seem a little less imposing.

“I wouldn’t mind, you know?” Emma said, still closing her eyes, using the confidence and the calm the moment had brought to her to finally say it. “Making the whole you moving in with me permanent.” 

Regina’s fingers stopped working their magic, but she didn’t move away. Didn’t deny it either. Emma didn’t know if she should panic or if she should wait and not pressure Regina.

After a few seconds of the same silence, Emma opened her eyes, ready to talk her way out of yet another screw up, when she met Regina’s eyes. 

To her surprise, she didn’t find outrage, or awkwardness, or even denial. Instead, the tender look she loved so much was staring back at her.

“Do you mean that?” Regina whispered.

“Yes.”

Her smile grew as she took her time to answer, not looking away for a second. “That sounds perfect.” Regina whispered, and Emma’s heart swelled. 

 

It took another two days of travel and another bed sharing night before they got to the Nolan’s summer house. It was indeed by the sea, and was only slightly smaller and almost as expensive looking as the one in the city.

It was a relief when Emma could finally set her feet on the ground after hours on the carriage, humid ocean air met her as she jumped out of her seat. 

“Grandma!” Ruby shot past them as a grey haired woman walked out of the house to greet the new arrivals. Emma’s heart was filled with a joy she never thought she would feel when she saw the familiar face. 

“Oh look at you!” Granny said, hugging Ruby. “So beautiful, everyday looking more like your mother!”

“The house is prettier than I thought.” Regina said, joining Emma closer to it. “Beautiful view.”

“I know right?” Emma smiled, also admiring the light blue sea like it as the first time she came here. 

Technically, it was. She wasn’t here yet when Emma was supposed to visit.

“I got the letter from your parents yesterday.” Granny approach them, welcoming look on her face. “I’m glad you made it safe. I have both your bedrooms ready.”

Granny guided each of them to their own room in the house, right next to the other, and they waited while the four servants and the handful of David’s most trusted guards brought their things in. 

By the time they settled it, the sun had settled too.

Emma took a short bath and changed into lighter clothes before joining them to the dining table to eat the dinner Granny had already prepared for them. 

With no energy in this realm, Emma’s schedule had changed drastically - going to bed almost as soon as the sun set, waking up for sunrise. She liked it that way now. 

Except when she found herself unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling and thinking too much and swearing at the night for being so damn long. Sometimes going to bed at two in the morning had its perks, like a short night and being so tired she didn’t have to wait long before falling asleep.

Emma was sure she had been trying to fall asleep for a good two hours when she finally sighed in surrender. 

She pretended she didn’t know what exactly was keeping her up. She was tired, it was starting to get late, she the breeze coming from the large window was enough to put her to sleep in a normal situation... she missed her parents, sure, but it wasn’t  _ that  _ bad. She went through the whole list trying to find something, an excuse.

Emma groaned in frustration. She missed Regina. And her warmth and her fingers running through locks of blonde hair, and waking up with her arms around her waist.

The brunette was so  _ close _ and yet so far. Only a wall was keeping them apart. She was in the bedroom right next to Emma’s. 

Emma cursed at the door. And simultaneously heard a knock on the door. 

She held her breath and waited, making sure the knock wasn’t a product of her imagination. It took awhile for the person to knock again. So long, Emma was starting to think she had hoped the knock into existence and was ready to go back to her rolling around the bed when she heard it again.

“Yes…?” She asked loud enough for the person at the other end of the wooden door to hear, but still unsure.

“Emma? Can I come in?” Emma smiled when she heard Regina’s tentative voice.

“Yes, come in.” 

The door cracked open just enough for Regina to slide into the room before she closed it again. The brunette stood in her nightgown, shy smile on her face as she waited for Emma to say something.

“Um, do you want to come over?” Emma moved, making space for Regina on the bed. 

The brunette moved slowly, making sure she wasn’t going to walk into anything, and sat next to Emma, on her bed.

“You can’t sleep either?” She asked once she had settled under the covers.

“No…” Emma replied. She wanted to say more, probably more than she would have the confidence to say in broad daylight, so she used the odd self confidence the darkness seemed to give her and added: “Kind of missed you next to me.”

Regina returned the shy smile. “Me too.”

“Do you… want to… stay for the night?” Emma hoped she wasn’t crossing any lines, but they both were on the first page and it was the first time so she might as well.

“I was hoping to, yes.” 

They both chuckled at that, Regina knew they would probably end up finding an excuse to make her stay, even if Emma hadn’t asked. 

“How are you?” Emma asked once they settled back into the comfortable silence.

“Tired, but… oddly calm now that it all seems so far away.”

“Yeah, me too. Let’s hope we hear from my parents soon. I sort of want to know Cora’s reaction when she came home and your room was empty.”

Regina chuckled. “Me too. I… I just regret not saying goodbye to my father. He’s going to be worried.” 

“I’m sure he trusts you enough to know you’ll be okay.”

“Yeah… and knowing I’m with you will probably make him feel slightly better.” Regina added. 

Their hands found each other, as they always did. Only Emma started tracing invisible patterns on Regina’s palm instead of holding her hand. Regina let her, eventually setting her head on Emma’s shoulder.

“How much do you trust me?” She whispered.

“A lot.” 

“Enough to tell me the truth when if I ask you a question?” 

Emma shifted a little, to face Regina, and the brunette moved from her shoulders to meet Emma’s eye.

“What do you mean?”

Regina hesitated for a second. “What really made you talk to me that night?” 

Emma looked at her, looking for any insinuation, but Regina’s eyes were hard to read. “Um, I told you. I wanted to talk to you because I thought it was ridiculous how we had just… stopped.” Regina kept looking at her, clearly not convinced but not judging her either. Just… waiting. Emma eventually sighed. “What do you want me to say?” 

“The truth.”

“And what do you think is the truth?” Emma asked softly, part of her actually wishing Regina had found out, because keeping this whole thing to herself was starting to get exhausting. 

“I see so much in you that I recognize from when we were little… and so much that I don’t. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just because of the years of growing apart, or…” She trailed of.

Emma stayed quiet, hoping Regina would say it. Wondering if she should just admit it, as Regina seemed to have caught up with the lie, but at the same time wondering if she was, maybe, just reading too much into it.

Emma looked at Regina, who was looking at her with no trace of judgement, who always seemed to accept whatever Emma shared with her. 

“If it’s just not the same Emma you knew?” She provided. Regina nodded.

Emma looked back at their hands, avoiding Regina’s gaze. She wanted to hear her say it.

“Well, are you?” The brunette asked when it became clear Emma wasn’t going to talk. Emma stayed silent, avoiding Regina’s eyes. “You’re not that Emma, are you?” 

Emma had been afraid Regina would freak out if she found out. But as she looked up at the brunette, she only saw curiosity. 

“No, I’m not.” Emma admitted.

Regina nodded, looking amazed and curious at the same time. “I knew you always seemed too amazed every time I told you about our childhood stories…” They both chuckled, and Emma knew she probably looked like a kid listening to their night time story. 

“Didn’t know I was  _ that _ obvious.”

“Not that much. It did seem odd to me you’d change your mind so suddenly regarding me.” Emma sighed, as she did every time Regina brought that up. 

It was time to tell her about that, too.

“You’d be surprised how much that did not change.” Regina raised an eyebrow, unbelieving expression on her face. “I- this Emma, your Emma,” Regina blushed slightly, at the choice of Emma’s words. Emma did, too. She wasn’t sure how else to explain it, but she also had to admit it felt... right. “I never wanted to grow apart in the first place.”

“Neither did I but that didn’t change anything.”

“It was Cora.” Emma continue, ignoring the hurt, slightly bitter tone in Regina’s voice. “She threatened 14 year-old me into staying away. I guess we were… we were getting too close for her taste.” Emma blushed again. “She told me at Lupercalia, when we had that  _ delightful  _ talk.” 

Cora hadn’t exactly said anything explicitly, but Emma had put the missing pieces together. The stories Regina always told her about how close they were, Snow’s stories as well, and how happy she looked when Regina started going to the house again, Cora telling Emma she thought she had scared the blonde away for good ‘that time’. Plus, it did sound like something the older woman would do.

Regina laughed bitterly. “Of course she would do that. She couldn’t risk me not being absolutely miserable.” Regina started playing with her hands, scratching the skin around her nails just like she did everytime she was upset.

Emma out her own hand over hers, Regina looked up at her again. “I- she- this realm’s Emma never stopped caring for you. She was just trying to keep you around the best way she could.” Emma smiled at Regina, shy smile that was returned by the brunette.

“This realm’s Emma?” Regina asked after they looked away.

“I- this is probably going to sound crazy, but I come from another realm. It’s a long story…”

“We’ve got the whole night.” Regina didn’t look at her like she was completely nuts, so Emma decided there would probably be no harm done in telling the whole story.

Emma sighed. Where was she supposed to start? Should she spare the darker parts of Storybrooke Regina’s past? “You… had a hard life in that realm as well…” Regina didn’t look surprised, instead a bitter chuckle escaped her lips again. “So you tried to divide your…  _ soul  _ and leave the darkest parts behind so you could live a more peaceful life. But it went wrong. I thought you had casted a sort of sleeping curse on yourself, but you actually ended up dividing your soul and sending the pieces in different realms. So I had to go after those pieces. And here I am.”

Regina frowned. “But where- how- how can someone do that? Where are the soul pieces?”

“I don’t know…” Emma’s voice sounded so defeated that Regina’s eyes softened in response. “I don’t even know how to get back. Rumplestiltskin-  _ Gold _ ,” Emma corrected herself so Regina would understand, “he gave me a potion. I took it. It was supposed to send me to the realm where my Regina would be, but… I don’t know. So far, I haven’t found her. I don’t know what I’m doing here most of the time.”

“Are you disappointed with the one you found?” Again, there was no judgement in her voice, just a hopeful curiosity.

Emma weighed her next words, making sure not to upset Regina. “No. I mean, I hoped it would be easier. I hoped there would be, I don’t know, someone with all the answers and I would be back home by now, with Regina, my Regina.” Regina looked away. “But it’s turning out to be more confusing than I expected and it’s been almost two months and I still haven’t gotten anywhere and I’m scared I won’t see my Regina ever again. I’m afraid I won’t find a way back home. So, I guess I’m afraid and confused, and I do miss my Regina and I Storybrooke. But, I’m thankful I found you. I’m not sure exactly what I expected to find, but I’m glad it was you.” Regina smiled, small and apprehensive, but she didn’t seem displeased by the answer. “And I’m glad this Emma has you.”

Regina’s eyes softened. “I’m thankful for that too.” Her smile grew, and Emma felt proud of her answer. “Storybrooke? Is that how your realm is called?” 

“Well, the town. You created it, actually.” She chuckled when Regina looked at her surprised. Emma decided to spare the dark details. “You’re actually a powerful magician, there. And you wanted a new start. So you went for it, and, honestly, I’m really glad you did.”

“Why?” 

“Because otherwise our path wouldn’t have crossed. Because we wouldn’t have the family we do now.” Curiosity flooded Regina’s eyes again. “We have a son. His name is Henry.”

Regina looked her amazed for a second, confusion and wonder in her eyes. “A son? Are we-”

Emma chuckled. “No. It’s an even cooler story, actually. We didn’t know each other when I gave birth to him. I was too young… in a difficult situation, so I gave him up for adoption. you adopted him. And he brought me home ten years later to you.” 

Emma loved the fascinated look on Regina’s face.

“Tell me about him.”

“He’s the best kid you could ask for. Light brown hair, tall, growing into a fine young man. Loves you a lot, and is growing to be like so much like you! Loves books, is a smart ass.” Regina rolled her eyes, though she still looked pleased by what she heard. Emma laughed. “You raised him alone for the first ten years of his life and did an amazing job.”

Regina settled in a tender yet longing look that made Emma want to bring her back to Storybrooke with her to show her everything she was talking about.

“Tell me about your realm’s Regina.” The brunette whispered.

“Oh, she’s so much like you yet so different, it’s… confusing.” Regina shifted in the bed so she was now laying down, and closed her eyes to listen to the story. “As I said, smart ass. Loves books. Has the same apple tree you have outside your window, only in her backyard. Makes kickass apple cider and lasagna. Amazing mother, amazing friend. She’s older though. About 20 years ahead of us…” Emma decided to simplify things and skip the curse. “She… has had to deal with a lot, but handled it like a champion. She’s honestly the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

“She sounds awesome.” Regina commented.

“She is.”

“Do you wish you could go back soon?” 

“I-” Emma looked at Regina, who had her eyes closed. Emma laid on her back and looked at her ceiling. She really did. “Yeah, I do.”

“I hope you can find her soon.” Her voice was flat and Emma knew she wasn’t over the moon with the answer.

“Hey…” She approached her face and looked at the brunette until she opened her eyes. “I’m happy I’m with you right now. And I’m happy that this Emma gets to stay with you. I’m kind of jealous of her for that.” Regina finally chuckled.

“That Regina is very lucky to have you.” Regina commented when her chuckle faded.

“I’d say it’s the other way around.”

Regina shook her head. “You’re jumping into unknown realms with no clear way back just to try and save her… there’s nothing that would make you give up on her, is there?” Emma shook her head, knowing she would probably look for Regina until her last breath. “Thank you for caring so much for her.” Emma wanted to say there was no need to thank her, but she knew what Regina meant. If she felt as alone as Storybrooke Regina had felt not that long ago, the idea of having Emma care so much for her probably meant the world. “She’s very lucky to have you.” Regina said again. 

“And this Emma is very lucky to have you.” Emma commented. “You don’t seem to give up on her either.”

Regina chuckled, no humour in it. “I don’t think she’s as sure as you are about that.” She said softly, though she was at least looking at Emma in the eyes now.

“I’m sure she is. I  _ know _ she does.” Regina stared at her with the same hurt look that made Emma’s heart clench. “I can’t imagine a version of myself that isn’t infinitely grateful to have you in her life.”

Regina’s eyes finally softened again as she exhaled silently. They smiled at each other for a moment, and then Regina’s fingers found Emma’s hair, and quickly Emma  fell asleep knowing Regina believed that much.

 

There was a newfound understanding between the two the next morning. Emma woke up early in the morning, the sun only starting to rise, entangled in Regina’s arm. She took the time to enjoy the calm of the moment, head hidden in the crook of Regina’s neck. When a louder breath announced Regina was awake, Emma braced herself for an awkward moment the time they entangled from their hug. But as naturally as she had always made it feel, Regina found Emma’s hair and started to run her fingers in it. 

Emma fell back asleep in the warmth and softness of Regina’s embrace until Ruby  barged into the room to announce breakfast was ready.

They had barely finished breakfast, all smile, thoughtful looks and light touches, before they were strolling down the beach. Emma found Regina’s hand and took. Before it felt natural to Emma. Now she craved it. Regina’s light touches made her feel more than alive.

“What’s going to happen when you’re gone?” Regina said once they left the summer house behind.

“I don’t know…” Emma admitted. “The offer still stands. You can stay here with me for as long as you want. I know it made seem hard to believe, but I know this realm’s Emma wants that. I can feel it.”

“How do you know you two are on the same page? I mean, how do I know we won’t just… go back to before you arrived?” 

Emma sighed, she stopped walking and turned to face the brunette. “I can’t predict what’s going to happen exactly. I- I don’t know what happened to this Emma when I came here. But I can assure you, you will be welcome wherever I am for as long as you want. Don’t worry about where you’ll be when I’m gone, because there will always be a place for you wherever I am, okay?” 

Regina nodded. “But I mean… I want to have a place in your life, not just in your house. I don’t want to go back. And I know you have no way of knowing that, but I just… wish I knew what to expect.”

Emma sighed. “You never gave up on me, even after ten years of not speaking to each other. You just… accepted me back. Why?”

“Because I care for you.” 

“So do I. Doesn’t matter what version of myself you face, there is always a place for you in my life for you. I don’t know how much this Emma will remember once she’s back and I’m gone, but regardless of her reaction I want you to know I,  _ she _ , care for you as much as you do for her. So, in case she doesn’t remember any of this, please promise me you won’t give up on her then either.” Emma met her eyes, hoping to make it more believable. “She thought she was doing the best she could to keep you as close as she could. It was wrong, probably. A mistake. But she did it because she  _ cares _ , not because she doesn’t. So please, remind her of everything you showed me, the… house by the beach and the dog, and moving in together and just how amazingly we fit together.” They both smiled. Because they really did. “And I promise you she will be telling you the same thing I’m telling you now. Because I can’t imagine a version of myself that isn’t infinitely grateful to have you in her life.” Regina smiled widely at the familiar words.

She looked less tense, and more hopeful. “Okay, I promise.”

Emma squeezed her hand softly, and they kept walking. 

Regina chuckled. “So we can both grow old together with the dog.”

Emma laughed too. “You don’t planned on getting married eventually?” She said ti before she could stop herself.

Regina’s chuckle died out. She shook her head. Emma wasn’t expecting to explain, she knew it was a touchy subject for the brunette. She even hated herself for bringing it up, nothing sounded better than growing old with Regina, but there was just a part of Emma that couldn’t fully believe Regina would even choose her.

“My heart is elsewhere.” Regina’s voice sounded constricted, and when Emma looked at her, she could see the brunette shying away from her, avoiding her gaze and looking oddly interested by the sand.

Emma stared at her thoughtfully, debating whether or not to push her to say more. There was something in her chest that was dying to ask more, to know the answer,  to hear her own name. All the feelings she has suppressed in Storybrooke now flourishing at the small hope Regina would ever choose Emma. 

Emma didn’t want to get her hopes up. But she couldn’t help her mind from remembering every thoughtful look, every tender look, every soft touch and caresses while she fell asleep in the brunette’s arms and the hugs and the way Regina looked at her, like Emma was everything she wanted to see in the world. Emma remembered how they had the most beautiful view behind them, sea so clear you could see the bottom, high rising cliff and sand making the place look magical, and yet Regina only had eyes for her.

It almost reminded Emma of her own dedication to the brunette.

“In a house by the beach with a dog?” Emma realized she had asked the question as she said it. It escaped her lips with such hopefulness, Emma didn’t recognize her own voice. The kind of hopefulness she had never allowed herself to feel.

But her hand was hyperly aware of Regina’s, her neck still tickled from the morning caresses and her heart was still warm with the look she never failed to see in Regina’s eyes.

Regina is looking at her now. The same intense look Emma had seen on her the first night, when Emma had first asked her to walk with her and Regina scanned her face for traces of a joke. Now, maybe she looked for confirmation that she had indeed heard Emma’s words correctly.

Her brown eyes softened when she met Emma’s. Emma’s heart swelled looking at Regina, and she smiled like an idiot. Regina smiled back, so close to Emma she only had to lean in to kiss her. 

Tickles climbed from her stomach to her chest the second Emma thought about kissing Regina. It wasn’t the first time, but surely the first time she had an actual opportunity to do it. 

She leaned in, and when the brunette met her eyes again, the longing in her eyes made it impossible for Emma to do anything other than follow her heart for once and lean in for a kiss. 

Their lips hovered over Regina’s for a second or two, Regina’s breath running down her chest, the brunette’s hand finding its way back to Emma’s neck, where it had left an unshakeable impression since that morning. The soft hand fit there like it belonged, and Emma sighed pleasantly as Regina closed the gap and Emma finally felt the soft lips she had dreamed about for so long on her own.

The feeling was overwhelming, Emma felt so many things at once. Regina’s lips were instead as tender as Emma had always imagined, and her chest flooded with a feeling she couldn’t pint point. Contentment? Longing? Happiness? Desire? Love? Probably all of them and more. Emma couldn’t help herself from give in completely into the amazing feeling.

She felt it more than she saw it. Only getting a glimpse before closing her eyes for the kiss, she saw the white light emanating from their embrace. She felt the energy rushing through her body too, and she leaned on Regina for support.

Only, she didn’t have time to find out whether or not Regina had been there to catch her, because as Emma felt herself give into the brunette’s embrace and the feeling of absolute bliss that came with the kiss, everything faded into black.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma opened her eyes, startled. She felt Regina’s absence before she processed the fact that she was  _ actually _ not there anymore with her. Then, Emma panicked.

The brunette had been there with her two seconds ago, Emma was still catching her breath from the intense moment they had just shared. Staring at each other, Regina so close Emma felt her breath on her chest, soft fingers running up and down her spine. Emma’s heart exploding with so many emotions she couldn’t decide which one was her favourite. 

The warmth Regina had provided just seconds ago left phantom tickles all around her body, the perfect moment vanishing as Emma’s skin grew cold even if she wasn’t outside anymore. She  _ wasn’t _ outside anymore. 

Emma scanned her surroundings. The room looked slightly familiar, though she couldn’t recognize were she knew it from. It looked like it could be in a castle. 

_ Castle room _ .

She was in a  _ castle _ . She had been by the sea with the love of her l-

“Emma? Are you okay?” Emma was pulled out of her frantic thoughts by a voice she wasn’t sure she recognized. A child’s voice.

She looked to her right and found a 10 year-old looking boy staring at her with concern, while she tried to catch her breath and understand what had happened. She didn’t recognize him at first, her mind wondered wildly while she tried to understand why there was a kid in her room. Maybe that was this realm version of Henry. Maybe she never met Neal and this is what her soon looked like in this realm. 

But then the boy arched this eyebrow, still waiting for an answer and Emma found herself staring at the kid version of her dad.

“Neal?” She asked under her breath, and sat on the edge of the her bed to stare at the boy while he resumed his drawing, not bothering to wait for an answer to his question.

“Who’s Neal?” Young David looked at her confused, and Emma got even more confused.

“David?” She tried again.

“Dad’s not here yet, though August said him and mom would be visiting soon. For your birthday.” 

Emma sat dumbfounded, looking at the boy, trying to figure out what was happening. 

So this wasn’t Neal, and he wasn’t the younger version of her dad, which was a relief for Emma, knowing she didn’t stumble in a weird realm with a screwed up timeline. But who was this kid?

“Henry?” Emma tried one last time. She had a feeling this kid was not hers, but she tried anyway, because… well, questions were the only thing in her mind at the moment.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He looked at her, honest concern starting to cloud his face.

She shook her head and faked a laugh. “Uh, yeah, I guess I just feel a little dizzy. I had a weird dream and feel sort of out of the loop, I think I’m feverish.” At the moment, Emma wasn’t sure if she was lying or not, because she honestly was starting to feel just that.

The kid seemed convinced enough with the explanation when he nodded. “Okay, then, don’t get near me. I don’t want to end up with the flu or something.” 

The kid resumed his task like this was just some other morning, and Emma dropped her head on her hands and groaned.

She didn’t want to do this again. She felt as vulnerable as she had once felt being tossed from home to home, only this time it was from realm to realm. Each more confusing than the other. Emma cursed for the millionth time for letting Regina go through with the separation because, if she hadn’t been such a coward, she wouldn’t be feeling the pressure of saving Regina and not knowing how, wouldn’t have the overwhelming feeling of being lost in a world she barely understood but had to pretend to be familiar with, and wouldn’t be feeling genuinely sick after the emotional torture this operation turned out to be.

She had a million questions and no one to answer them. She wished she could go back to sleep and wake in Storybrooke, in her parents’ apartment, and have them give her one of their famous hope speeches and have Snow fuzz all over Emma for a moment or two. Just to catch her breath. Just one moment before having to do this again. 

Two seconds ago she had been in Regina’s embrace, finally knowing what it was like to kiss her, to hold her and to  _ have those feelings reciprocated _ . She now knew what it was like to feel her heart beat quickly in her chest, blush all over her cheeks, and a stupid smile on her face at the smallest touch and not have to ignore them, or not laugh bitterly at the curse of always wanting what she couldn’t have. Because, suddenly, she  _ could _ . Suddenly, Regina felt all those things as well. It was addicting. It was amazing. Possibly the best thing that had ever happened to Emma, and now it was gone. 

“Do you want to see what I drew?” The boy’s voice made Emma come back to reality. Which was probably a good thing, because was starting to fall down a pit she wasn’t sure she could climb out of. It was hard to get anywhere with sweaty hands and a bubble in her throat keeping the air from reaching her lungs.

She made sure to breath deeply a couple of times before looking back up, making sure she wasn’t going to scare the boy by looking like a sweaty zombie. “Yeah, of course.”

The boy lifted a piece of paper with a toddler and a teen blonde girl beautifully drawn on it. A little messy, but impressive for such a young kid. 

Emma stared at the younger versions of both of them, the little boy in the arms of teenage Emma, a giant stone tower behind them and ‘Leo & Emma’ written on top in an infinity symbol.

_ Leo _ . That sounded like something her mother would name a kid.  _ Her _ kid. 

Her brother's name was Leo in this realm… Leo as in-

Emma cringed. Leopold. Snow really did that to her kid.

Maybe her grandfather wasn’t as much of an undeserving twat in this realm. Maybe she shouldn’t be cringing. After all, many things changed from realm to realm. 

But the few stories Regina had told Emma of her time with the old man made Emma want to rebaptize the kid regardless.

“Wow, Leo, that’s amazing.” 

“Thanks.” Leo beamed, and made his way towards an end of the room Emma couldn’t see from her bed.

She followed, because the best strategy she could think of was sticking by her brother’s side, hoping to learn as much as possible about this realm through the blunt words of a child.

A giant wall covered in tons of pieces of paper much like the one her brother was holding greeted her eyes. Drawings and drawings, some better than others, clearly showing Leo’s progress throughout the years, covered the entire wall from the ceiling to the floor. 

“That’s… a lot of drawings…” She mumbled when her brother looked at her surprised face with suspicion.

“I know. I made them all. You told me to put them there.” He said, as if it was obvious.

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t truly realize how many there were until now.” 

Leo took what looked a little too much like chewed bubble gum for Emma’s taste, and put the drawing in one of the only empty spaces in the wall.

“Hopefully mom and dad will like the new ones. I’ve improved since last year, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, a ton, champs.” Emma didn’t know. She didn’t remember last year. But white lies never hurt anyone, and he was just a kid.

“Maybe I’m as tall as dad now.” Emma chuckled. He was barely tall enough to reach her waist. “I’ve grown a lot since the last time they were here.” 

Emma frowned. “Of course you have. Do you remember how long it’s been since mom and dad were here?” 

“Huh… since my birthday. So, almost a year?” Emma stopped herself from displaying her surprise too openly, instead nodded.

“Wow… a year already.”

Nothing in this realm made any sense, but Emma hadn’t expected it would anyways. Why would Snow and Charming leave both their children unattended for a months at a time? If Leo and Emma were in the castle, where were the actual Queen and King? Were they even Queen and King? Was this even a castle?

Emma sighed, and turned to the giant window close to the art wall.

And it was then that she noticed how high off the ground they really were. 

They had to be at least five stories high, in the middle of the woods. Even that far up, Emma couldn’t see any signs of life beyond the stone building she was in. It made no sense.

She went on the other side of the pretty large room that was now starting to feel smaller and smaller, the walls closing on Emma as she walked to the other window. 

Nothing but woods on the other side as well. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing but forest, even the highest trees seemed small from where she was standing. 

There were no other buildings connecting to the one they were in. No other buildings in sight, even. Just a large tower surging from the ground to where Emma was standing.

She was in a  _ tower _ . In the middle of the woods. 

Emma scanned the room for a door, not even bothering to keep her panic at a minimum for Leo. 

A large wooden door, decorated with black metal locks that looked heavier than the door itself, stood next to a failed attempt of a living room. 

Once she made sure Leo was distracted enough with his drawings, Emma walked to the door and tried to open it. But it was locked, of course.

A sudden wave of desperation hit Emma as she rested her forehead on the cold wood and sighed, something that sounded more like a mix between a groan and a sob. She was stuck in the middle of nowhere, in a realm she didn’t know, with no way out, and only memories of her moments with Regina to keep her sane. And even that was starting to fail her, as they filled her more with sorrow than happiness the more she thought about it. She couldn’t even pretend to be strong anymore. She wanted the warmth of being with the brunette, not the hard coldness of wood and stone keeping her prisoner.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Emma shut her eyes tight to keep actually tears from rolling down her cheeks and took a deep breath to keep her voice from cracking.

“No. I want to get out of here.” The hopelessness in her voice saying more than the actual words.

“Oh, yeah I have those days too. It’s okay. It helps if you sit by the window.” A light hand pressed on her shoulder. “Just remember it’s better this way. This way, at least we’re safe.”

 

Emma spent the whole day sitting by one of the two large windows of her fancy looking prison, like Leo had suggested. It did help with the claustrophobia she was starting to feel, but the void in her chest grew larger the more she thought about Regina.

Her Regina, the Regina she left behind, and the Regina of this realm who was hiding somewhere away from her. 

If Emma couldn’t even get out of this tower, how was she supposed to get to Regina? How was she supposed to save her Regina? How was she supposed to get back home?

Leo seemed to understand Emma wanted to be left alone, hanging out in his own corner of the room, mumbling to himself as he drew something else. 

Which left Emma the space she needed to actually cry, giving in to the hopelessness of her situation. She was never a crier, it wasn’t something she did growing up. Once you acknowledge a crack in your armor, it spreads and you fall apart. So she avoided the cracks and spent the first years of her life going through the motions. It sucked, but it worked. But now it was different. Now she allowed herself to feel things. At first, it had been great things, like Regina’s lips, and her warmth, and then eventually the love Emma had been ignoring for years. But now, she didn’t feel good things anymore. Emma  _ felt _ the cracks spreading and she felt the energy leaving her body the longer she thought about what had happened.

She couldn’t make sense of this whole situation. How had she ended up in this new realm without taking Gold’s potion? What was going to happen to her Regina? To that Emma? Would the Emma she left behind prove her right by staying by Regina’s side? Emma found herself wishing with all her might, praying to entities she wasn’t even sure she believed in that that was the case. 

She wondered about so many things, the questions became a big mess in her head. They came in a chain. One after the other, all without answers.

Had Emma even succeeded, or was a piece of her Regina still in that realm? What was she supposed to do now that she had kissed Regina and felt all those things and-

The memory of the kiss came rushing back to Emma. She had spent her first waking moments in this new realm so confused and so desperately wanting answers and ways out of this goddamn tower, that she hadn’t really thought about that moment. 

She thought about what it had felt like. She thought about how much she missed it. She wondered what would happen to the brunette she left behind. But she didn’t think about the light she had seen before everything went black. She didn’t think of the energy rushing through her body and how she actually felt the True Love’s kiss before she figured out what it was.

What did that mean now? Regina and Emma were  _ True Loves  _ but would that mean anything once she went back to Storybrooke? Would Regina know? Would she remember? 

Did it even mean anything now? 

Emma’s head felt heavy. The crying was starting to give her a headache, the questions made her mind a giant blur, and the lack of answers drained her energy. She put her knees closer to her chest and rested her head on them. 

She just wanted to be back in Storybrooke. She should feel all kinds of joy with the discovery of being True Love with the woman had been falling for for so many years. But not knowing what it would mean for them, not knowing if she would ever get to  _ know _ what it meant because she didn’t even know when she would see Regina again, knowing pretty well how coward she could be and how, if Regina didn’t remember it herself, Emma would probably never get herself to admit it to Regina, Emma hoped she had never found out. Ignorance was bliss sometimes.

Emma wanted that kiss to mean something with everything she had. She wanted to go back to Storybrooke and go back to a different life, where Regina was part of her life in the way Emma had wanted for so long and not as the best friend with whom Emma shared a son and the best moments of her life, but would probably never get to anything more. A life where Emma didn’t have to get over her fear of ruining the best that had ever happened in her life for a possibility of something better, when she knew this was already better than what she had gotten for most of her life. Emma wished she could go back to a life that had all the answers, to people she knew inside out, to her family and to a stability she had underappreciated until this moment.

She thought about how Regina was probably asleep, not knowing all the things that were happening right now in all these different realms, how clueless she was and how fucking lucky she was. Because now Emma had crucial information in her hands, she was Regina’s  _ True Love _ for crying out loud, something Regina had been looking for since she started to believe she could change her life for the better, she couldn't keep it from her, but she didn’t know how to break it to her. And there was always that small part of Emma that wouldn’t let her forget the possibility of Regina truly only wanting her as a friend. The thing that had always kept the blonde from saying anything. 

Emma obsessed over the kiss for longer than she realized. It was the only thing keeping her from remembering she was stuck somewhere away from Regina, and even Rumple, who probably had some answers. Like, how had she ended up in this realm?

She didn’t take anything. No potions, nothing weird. The only thing that stood out was the kiss, nothing else.

Maybe it was because she was confused, tired and frankly a little dizzy, so her mind was running slowlier than usual, but when it finally settled in, Emma’s head shot backup, wide-eyed.

True Love’s kiss.

_ Of course. _

Emma felt actual hope rush through her once again. Of course it was True Love’s kiss. It transcended realms and all that crap she had heard for years. 

Emma laughed. She actually laughed at how absurdly long it had taken her to figure it out.

All she had to do was kiss Regina. She could do that. She would never get tired of doing that anyways.

Another chuckle left her lips, fuelled by feeling the joy of finally getting one answer, the most important one at the moment. 

All she had to do was get out of here and go find Regina. And they could, hopefully, go home.

But her eyes settled on the imposing, pretty solid looking, lock on the door. 

Her hope vanished.

All she had to do was get out of there. But how?

 

Two more days went by in a blur, a lot of thinking and wondering, and planning different ways to escape, before Emma started to pace around the room. She couldn’t stand it anymore.

Leo seemed to spend his days just fine between his drawings and napping and the books piled in different spots all around the room. Emma, on the other hand, could barely sleep at night.

“You’re stressing me out. Can you please sit down?” Leo sighed.

“I can’t.” He didn’t look convinced. “I’m feeling restless.” He eyed her like she had just told him water is wet. 

She was about to demand he left her alone when they heard it.

At first, Emma didn’t know what it was, but soon enough it became clear the storm like sound coming their way was the sound of horses coming through the woods. Towards them.

Emma didn’t have the time to panic before Leo jumped to his feet and ran to the window.

“Mom and dad! They’re coming!” He beamed, looking out to the forest that still hid the horses they heard.

Surely enough, a few moments later, about a hundred horses emerged from the woods, David and Mary Margaret at the front. 

“Woah! They brought like… their whole army this time.” 

“They don’t usually do that?” Emma was also staring out of the window with curiosity as her parents jumped off their horses.

“No… I mean, they do come with soldiers but never this many.”

Snow and Charming disappeared at the back of the tower,  the rest of the men spread around the stone building and waited. And so did Emma and Leo. They waited for a good half hour, Leo pacing the room almost jumping with excitement, Emma pacing the room with growing anticipation. Finally, they heard footsteps and the lock clicked.

Snow, who looked about as old as when she had last seen her, and David, who hadn’t changed looks in this realm either, walked into the room with beaming smiles.

Leo went to greet them, Emma was soon pulled into the family hug as well. 

“How are you my darlings?” Snow asked as she scanned Emma and Leo with a smile. 

Leo didn’t need begging before he started going on and on about everything he had accomplished while they were away. And Emma was left to wonder what kind of arrangement this was. It just didn’t seem right.

“So why did you guys bring so many people this time?” Emma finally asked, once Leo had narrated the entire year.

“Yeah! There are like…  _ so many  _ soldiers! Is so cool!” Leo beamed. “Wait, is the Evil Queen back? Is that why you need all that protection?” 

Emma’s blood froze all around her body, and her gasp was hidden by Snow and Charming’s chuckle. 

_ The Evil Queen _ . 

All of a sudden it all made sense. The being locked up, the ‘at least this way we’re safe’. Regina probably wanted her head on a plate.

“Actually, quite the contrary.” Snow smiled and looked at David like she was waiting for him to deliver the news.

All she could hear was the E word echo in her head. 

Internally, Emma chuckled bitterly, because the Universe would pull something like that. It was never easy. Even if it wasn’t exactly the simplest way out, it still had to make Emma’s way back home almost impossible.

Snow White’s daughter had to convince the Evil Queen to kiss her. 

Emma sighed, because she should've known better than having hope.

David sat on Emma’s bed, Snow by his side. “You guys know we haven’t heard from her in years… Almost four years, actually. The kingdom has been the safest it has ever been these past few years, and we thought… we thought it was a shame that you guys were missing out. And as Emma is now old enough to inherit the throne, we thought it was about time she started learning the ways of her kingdom.” He looked directly at her. “One day, you’re going to become Queen. And we want you to be prepared. So, we came to take you guys back to the palace with us.” Leo, who had been sitting on the floor, jumped to his feet and starting jumping around. “You’re no longer the defenseless child you were a decade ago. I think it’s time to go back with us and get to know your kingdom. After all, it was been waiting ten years for you.” 

 

They left that same day. 

The soldiers took less than an hour to put everything Emma and Leo judged to be valuable on the horses’ backs, and they were on their way back to Snow and David’s castle.

After a couple of hours of riding, more soldiers joined them. And as they advanced, more and more circled the royal family.

“I thought the Evil Queen had calmed down?” Emma asked Snow when she saw a dozen of other soldiers waiting for the in the horizon.

“She has. But it’s better be safe than sorry.”

Emma laughed nervously. “Does she want my head on a plate or something?” 

Snow scolded at her daughter with a disapproving look, but didn’t deny it. 

Emma sighed, and forgot about all the hopes she had of getting back to Storybrooke any time soon.

 

Life in the castle turned out ot be even worse than in the tower. Aside from the cheerful and colorful welcome the city had given the two young heirs, life as a princess was really not for Emma. A strict routine had been imposed the day after they arrived, demanding the best of Emma. Perfect manners were expected, long hours at court with her parents, tutors who hoped to fit in a decade worth of information as quickly as possible, uncomfortable dresses, barely anytime with Leo, and a lot of time with two people who said to be her parents but that she didn’t recognize in the slightest. 

She hated every second of it. So much, Emma actually started hoping Regina would show up and take her back to her kingdom, which Emma had discovered was called the Dark Kingdom, with her. Even if it probably meant Emma’s death sentence. 

Regardless, the life in the castle, and the waiting for news of Regina were already taking a toll on Emma. 

It only took three weeks before she was sneaking out of her bedchambers, the hallways almost empty and the absolute silence that always reigned the castle when the sun settled. She bribed the two guards by her door to stay silent, and tip toed her way to a servant’s stairwell she knew would lead her to the kitchen and then eventually to the stables.

She managed to slip out of the castle without causing any fuzz, no one paying much to Emma, either too tired because of the time, or because no one bothered to question a girl in a servant’s overused cloak. 

Emma jumped on the back of the horse her parents had offered her as a welcoming gift and made her way to the woods, so no one would see her.

It took her one week to decide she had had enough of waiting, and two to gather enough information about Regina’s whereabouts before the right time to escape finally came.

The city wasn’t very big, and it felt almost inhabited at this time of the night. Thanks to most of the people in the are being asleep, Emma was close to the border between the two kingdoms without much trouble. 

She really thought it would take her a lot of bribing soldiers to get there, but apparently her parents really believed Regina wasn’t going to attack any time soon, as only a dozen of their soldiers patrolled the border. 

Emma found the densest part of the forest and used the darkness of the night to sneak into the Dark Kingdom. When she was sure the soldiers were far enough behind her, she accelerated pace. 

She finally saw the castle when the light of dawn was starting to shine through the trees. Emma was exhausted, but the adrenaline and anticipation of seeing Regina soon kept her going. 

She had planned the whole thing out, even if she knew the Evil Queen was completely unpredictable. She didn’t really expect the reunion to be joyful, and figured she was probably walking into a death trap, but anything was better than staying in Snow’s kingdom, wondering what would happen, when it would happen, wondering about this Regina, and the others, and Storybrooke, until she drove herself mad.

So Emma decided to use the one thing she knew always worked with Regina, and rode into the castle as the sunrise painted the sky in different shades of orange, with nothing but the truth under her belt and hoping that would be enough.

She wasn’t surprised to see Regina had a better army than her parents. Soldiers dressed in a terrifying black armour stopped her  before she could close the bridge leading to Regina’s castle, and Emma only had to show her face before they escorted her the rest of the way.

The sun had barely reached its position in the sky when the doors of Regina’s throne room barged open, startling Emma.

“Oh, dear…” A surprised, yet mischievous voice said before Emma turned to look at the door. Regina stood there, frozen halfway between the door and Emma, wearing an extravagant black and looking like she couldn’t believe the Christmas miracle before her eyes. “It really is you…” She smiled, shivers ran down Emma’s spine. “...princess.”

Emma rose her chin higher, hoping to look more confident than she was feeling. 

She knew dealing with the Queen would be everything but fun, she still felt blown away by the whole persona Regina managed to put on.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you for another couple of years…” Regina smirked, making her way to Emma slowly. The blonde both dreaded and craved more proximity. “So I can only wonder…” She stood in front of Emma and lifted the blonde’s chin with her hand. “What brings you here?”

“You want the long version or the short version?” Emma blurted out, trying to look defiant but getting lost in the intensity of Regina’s eyes.

She was used to intensity in her friend’s eyes, that was the  _ trademark  _ of Regina’s eyes, but  _ this _ was a whole new category of intense.

Regina arched an eyebrow. “Start with the short and I’ll decide if it is worth my time.”

“I came to save you.”

Whatever Regina was expecting to hear clearly wasn’t even close to what Emma said, and the brunette looked genuinely surprised for a second. And then confused, and then amused.

“Save me?” Regina laughed, wholeheartedly laughed as she looked at Emma as if she had just said the silliest thing. “ _ You  _ want to save  _ me _ ?”

“Yeah.” 

“ _ You _ are in  _ my  _ kingdom, at  _ my  _ mercy, and  _ you  _ want to save  _ me _ ?” She laughed again, this time less genuine and more disbelieving. Almost daring Emma to confirm.

“Yeah.”

Regina let go of Emma and eyed her suspiciously.

“From what?”

“That’s the long version.” Emma simply commented.

“Start talking then.” Regina said, narrowing her eyes as if ready to detect any lies Emma might tell her.

 

“So I have a demand now that I turned myself in.” Emam finally said, after explaining the whole situation to a skeptical Regina.

“You…. have a  _ demand _ ?” Regina deadpanned.

“Yes.” Regina arched an eyebrow, and Emma started before she could lose her nerve. “I’m here, I’ll let you have me. I won’t fight. I turned myself in without you even having to invest anything to get me. In return, I want you to let me try to save you first.” Emma realized how ridiculous it sounded. 

She  _ was _ , after all, in Regina’s territory. She was at her mercy. She truly had nothing to bribe Regina with now that she was in her hands. She was trying to convince the  _ Evil Queen _ to let her  _ save her _ . She realized how that must’ve sound. For one, Regina’s disbelief said it all. 

But she had to try it, because she didn’t have any other way.

Regina eyed Emma for a while. Her eyes alternating from disbelief, to curiosity, to amusement, to mischievousness. Emma grew nervous under her Queen’s intense stare, but never broke eye contact, hoping Regina would somehow  _ see  _ that’s all she wanted. 

Finally, when Regina didn’t seem to decide which emotion she would settle on, the brunette sighed.

“You really believe that? What you just told me?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone dividing their soul.”

“Because nobody had done it before Reg- You- My realm’s Regina.” 

“How do I know you’re not lying?” 

“Because I have nothing to gain from this. I’m here, aren’t I? What way out of your castle do I have?” Regina seemed to consider it. “And what do you have to lose? You have what you wanted at the end of the day.”

Regina stared. She stared until her expression became unreadable to Emma, and finally looked away to whisper something in a soldier’s ear.

Two more soldiers approached and took Emma’s hands.

“Regina?” Emma asked, a little panic in her voice, when the grip of the soldier became too tight and she realized she was probably about to be guided out of the room.

“I’ll think about it.” Was all Regina said before she nodded, and Emma was being escorted out of the throne room.

 

Emma was sure she was going to rot in the dungeons of the castle. They walked for what felt like hours, soldiers guiding the blonde thought hallways and rooms, until they stopped in front of a wooden door in a dark hallway. She was pretty surprised when the guards guided her to a small room in a far corner of the castle. It was simple, small, isolated, and guarded by imposing soldiers, but it wasn’t the dungeon. Emma sighed in relief once the door closed behind her.

To say Emma was confused when Regina didn't decide to put her in a dungeon was an understatement. She had considered two options when she came to Regina’s castle: either the brunette laughs at her and imprisons her, or miraculously believes her and Emma gets to go home. Neither of those options included being a guest at the Evil Queen’s castle. 

She could hear the guards outside her door talking about last night’s game. The window in her room had bars, but the room looked a little like a hostel bedroom, so Emma didn’t really mind staying there. And with everything she had in her mind, she didn’t really need something to distract herself either.

Emma tried to understand what had been going through Regina’s mind when she decided to keep Emma in the castle, but not  _ exactly _ a prisoner. She tried to predict what Regina was going to do next. Even if Emma always thought Storybrooke Regina was unpredictable, she quickly realized that, doesn’t matter how well Emma thought she knew Regina, the brunette always managed to surprise her. Emma sat on the single bed and wondered what Regina wanted from her, and how long she’d have to wait until she got an answer.

 

Meanwhile, in the royal chambers, Regina wondered just as much as she combed her hair in front of her mirror. She didn’t have time to go through her morning routine before having to go to the princess, so she took the time to do it now. She didn’t really have to, one hand gesture and she could magic her whole outfit exactly like she wanted it to be, but she still prefered to do things like this everyday to keep herself grounded.

Emma’s story was nothing short from incredible.  _ Dividing one’s soul _ ? Regina had never heard of that in all the years she had practiced dark magic. That alone picked at Regina’s curiosity, and made her doubt the credibility of the blonde’s story. But then there was Emma’s unwavering gaze on Regina, the desperate expression on her face begging for Regina to believe her, that unsettled the Queen just as much. 

And finally, the real reason why Emma started such a difficult and uncertain journey between realms circled around the Queen’s head ever since she went back to her bedchamber. Emma was there in an attempt to save… Regina.  _ Her  _ Regina, as the blonde had called the Queen’s Storybrooke counterpart. 

Regina set her brush on her night table and stared at the result on the mirror. Brown eyes, sharp features, and perfect black hair stared back at her. She was only person who had ever tried to save her. Why would her enemy's daughter, of all people, want to see Regina safe?

Her parents, her first love, and every single person in Regina’s life had left her behind the second she wasn’t useful anymore. It had always been Regina by herself, and she had long decided the Universe hated her enough to make that the case in all the other realms. 

“Your Highness, the council is waiting for you.” Graham, her most noble soldier, said, opening the heavy wooden doors of her bedroom. 

“Clear my schedule for the rest of the day.” She ordered as she walked towards the meeting room, determined to get some answers from the blonde the second she was done with the council.

 

Emma was startled when the doors of her room suddenly opened. For some reason, she wasn’t as surprised when Regina stood there, looking at her with a smirk. The brunette made her way into the small room, eyeing it with something close to disgust and finally leaned on the wall opposed to the window where Emma was standing. 

“How are you enjoying your stay, princess?” 

“The room is okay, but the entertainment around here leaves a lot to be desired.” Emma shrugged, leaning on the wall too. 

Regina chuckled. “Prisoners aren’t here for a vacation, dear.”

Emma chuckled too and waited for Regina to lead the conversation. She was pretty sure she knew what Regina was here for, but she wanted to give Regina the space to ask. 

“You said you were here to save me from a curse I accidentally casted on myself…” The brunette prompted. Emma nodded. “But why? Why  _ you _ ?”

“Well, because…” Emma stumbled on the words a little, truly not knowing how to respond to that.  _ Because she couldn’t imagine anyone else coming instead? Because Emma couldn’t stay in Storybrooke doing nothing? Because they save each other and that’s just how it is?  _ “Well, I care for you… and I have magic too, so it seemed like the most logical thing.”

Regina eyed her curiously, looking for something Emma couldn't pinpoint. 

“You  _ care  _ for me?”

“Yes, I know it might sound crazy, but you’ve- we’ve come a long way back in my realm. And we’re friends, so of course I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Regina was still looking at Emma with a mix of curiosity and awe that made Emma want to kiss her and take the Queen back to Storybrooke with her to just  _ show  _ her what she means.

“So you just left everything behind to come here? Didn’t your parents try to stop you?” Regina settled on a skeptic expression.

“They wanted you to be safe too.” Emma said, and Regina chuckled in disbelief. “I know right now that might seem impossible to you, and in my realm it was too at some point, but  _ you have come a long way _ . You’re part of our family now.”

Regina chuckled again. “I’d rather be my own undoing before I join the Charmings.”

Emma laughed at the familiar denial, but she let Regina be. Because in this realm, it was clearly true.

“So we’re… friends in this realm of yours?” 

“Yes, very much so.”

Regina eyed Emma. “I might not be well versed in the concept of friendship, but I’m pretty sure that sounds a little more intense than your usual friendship.” 

Emma blushed and looked away. Being confronted with the reality of her life back in Storybrooke served to nothing right now. She missed everything about it, and now also wondered what it would be like when she went back, but tried to avoid those thoughts for her own sake or she would end up driving herself crazy.

When she looked at Regina again, the brunette was looking at her with an odd fascination. 

“You do care.” She said softly. Softer than Emma would’ve ever imagined the Evil Queen to be.

“Yes, I do, Regina.” Emma knew she was begging for Regina to believe her at this point, but she didn’t care. She never did when it came to Regina knowing she was loved.

The Queen cleared her throat and admired the room for a moment before speaking again.

“And how do you plan to go back? How did you leave the previous realm in the first place?” 

“Uh… Well, I…” Emma hadn’t planned that part of the conversation just yet and she feared how Regina would react to the True Love’s kiss revelation. “I’m not sure… I was hoping you could help me figure it out.”

Regina raised her eyebrow, the same way she did it whenever Emma said something stupid in Storybrooke. “You don’t know?”

Emma shook her head. “I know you’re a good magician. I was hoping you could help me.”

“Yes, and I’m also a Queen and quite busy.” At the sight of Emma’s pleading expression, Regina sighed like she was tired of seeing Emma hit the same wall repeatedly. “Why would you put yourself in a situation like this without even knowing your way out?”

“I told you, because I care about you.”

“But you didn’t bother to look for an answer first?” 

“ _ Yes _ , I did.” Emma felt herself start to get irritated. “But I found nothing and seeing you lay there-” Emma cringed at the thought of Regina laying on the ground, the anxiety boiling through Emma’s veins all over again. “I couldn’t stay there and do nothing. Nobody had ever done that before and nobody knew what to do to help you. Rumple gave me that potion that was supposed to help me find you and I decided I would figure out the rest later.” 

“Rumplestiltskin?” Regina straighten her back as if that would summon the old man and she would have to face him. 

“I had no choice.” 

Regina seemed to understand Emma really didn’t have a choice when she saw the disgusted expression on Emma’s face.

“Regina wanted to get rid of me  _ that _ much?” Regina, the  _ Queen _ , smiled bitterly and looked away. “I don’t blame her.” 

Emma judged it was best to give Regina a second. Regina’s eyes seemed conflicted and far away, like she was locked in her own thoughts.

“I didn’t want her to, you know?” Emma said, and Regina looked back at Emma surprised. “I didn’t tell her to stop because I wanted her to feel supported. I wanted her to know it was her choice. But I never thought leaving behind part of herself was the answer. It was hard for her, most of the time. Dealing with those sudden impulses and her past, she told me it was a constant battle. And she was afraid she would drive people away if she one day relapsed.” Emma sighed. “I tried to let her know that wouldn’t be the case. Family is there for you even in your worst moments, and she is family now. But I didn’t want her to feel like she didn’t have my support, so I didn’t insist. And… something went wrong. And here I am. But I wish I would’ve told her it was worth the fight and that she  _ can _ love herself for everything that she is.” 

“Like you love her…” Regina said thoughtfully.

Regina’s eyes were studying Emma with intensity, the way Emma was used to see Regina study her whenever their conversations got too insightful, too emotional. Emma felt her skin burn under the intense gaze and looked down, not denying Regina’s accusation. She had come to realize that love was impossible to ignore now. 

When she looked back at Regina, she was looking at her with a mix of surprise and longing in her eyes. Emma stared back, too mesmerized to look away first.

Regina cleared her throat. “I- I have business to attend. I’ll order the guards to bring you a book.” She said before leaving the room as fast as she came in.

But Emma knew that wasn’t the case when she saw Regina riding her horse in the royal gardens that day, puzzled expression on her face.

 

The two days of Regina’s absence burn into Emma’s chest. She was starting to feel as restless as she did in the tower with her brother and not even the pile of books that were brought for her entertainment could keep her mind from wandering. 

_ Where is Regina? _

The Queen hadn’t visited Emma in the last couple of days, hadn’t sent messages or any kind of signals to let the blonde know she was alive. Emma hadn’t even seen her riding in the gardens after the day of their conversation. 

Her reading time, or the last hour that Emma had spent looking at the same page of the book and wondering, was interrupted by the door opening. Hope flooded her chest for a couple of seconds, the two seconds Emma expected Regina to walk through the door. But the same guard that carried her food that morning walked in instead.

“The Queen ordered to let you go for a walk, if you desire to.” He said, while waiting expectantly by the door.

“Yeah, sure.” Emma beamed, joining the guard before he changed his mind. 

This was her opportunity to leave her tiny prison, and hopefully she would run into Regina.

“Did she say where I could go?” Emma asked as they walked down the dark hallway leading to her room.

“Not really, but I suppose I can bring you to the garden.” The guard wasn’t guiding her by her arm anymore, but walking beside her like she wasn’t a prisoner anymore.

Emma quickly realized that the guards in black uniforms stationed in front of almost every door and walking up and down the hallways didn’t see her as a threat either, most of them not even bothering to look at her in the first place.

That would probably change if Emma tried to run, but Emma felt she wasn’t exactly in danger in the castle anymore.

“Can I have a tour of the castle? Haven’t seen much from that prison you keep me in.” Emma suggested.

The guard didn’t laugh at her joke, but shrugged. “I guess.”

The more they approached the throne room, the more people they saw. Mostly guards, but Emma saw increasingly more servants and noble looking people walk by. Once in the throne room, Emma walked towards to the other side and into a hallway.

She hadn’t seen the royal chambers yet, so she imagined it would be that way.

Surely enough, the more they walked through the hallways, the less people there was and the more luxurious the decorations became. 

“Do you know where Reg- the Queen is?” Emma asked.

“She was out for a couple of days on a personal business, but she will be back today.”

“Oh.” Disapposapointement crushed all the hopes Emma had of seeing Regina that day.

Quickly enough, they found themselves in a hallway that became a small bridge connecting the rest of the castle of a very large room. The heavy wooden doors of the expensive looking bedroom that had to be Regina’s were open. 

Emma started to make her way to the room when a hand pulled at her arm.

“That’s the Queen’s bedchamber. She doesn’t let visitors in.”

“Oh, come on. Regina isn’t back yet.” Emma protested. She was pretty sure that no amount of begging would make the guard let her in, but she tried anyways. She was bored and had nothing to lose. “If she didn’t want me wondering around the castle she would’ve given more precise orders as to where to bring me. Beside, the doors are wide open… you can say you lost me in the castle if we ever get caught. I’ll take the blame.”

She wished she could see the man’s face to see if it was working, but only a helmet, complete with a mask, stared back at her.

The soldier finally sighed. “Fine. Going in to your own risk and peril.” He let go of her arm.

Emma beamed and walked up the small bridge connecting Regina’s room to the rest of the castle. If Regina caught her she could say she didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to be here… And Emma had a feeling Regina wouldn’t hurt her anyway.

She went into the room hesitantly, as if expecting someone to attack her from one of the dark corners. But there was no one.

In the middle of the room, there was Regina’s bed, decorated with deep red silk sheets. Next to it, there was a night table with a mirror and a single brush on the table. 

The room seemed very impersonal, and colder than her own room, with the closed doors of the balcony letting very little light in. 

Emma reached for the brush and admired the details, as well as the feeling of being in Regina’s room after so long, when a voice startled her, making her to drop the brush. 

“Enjoying the view?” Regina said mockingly at the sight of Emma studying so closely her belongings.

“Jesus, Regina, you could’ve given me a heart attack.” Emma hizzed, putting the brush back in its place.

Regina raised her eyebrow, but whether it was at the use of Regina’s name or at the tone of Emma’s voice, Emma didn’t know.

“I thought you would take the chance to see the sun a little, not put your nose where it doesn’t belong.” Regina commented, though not in a mean tone.

Emma shrugged. “I was hoping to run into you so I came to the part of the castle where I would expect you to be. But then the guard told me you were out.”

Regina leaned on the door frame and smile at Emma. “Yeah, I had a couple of things to do.”

“ _ Personal  _ business?” Emma raised her eyebrow this time.

“Well, aren’t you feeling brave today?” Regina chuckled.

“I’m just curious. Besides, I have a feeling that, if you really wanted to hurt me, you wouldn’t done it already.” 

Regina eyed Emma for a moment before nodding. “I went to see Rumplestiltskin.” 

Emma’s eyes widen when she heard the name, she, too, wanted some answers. “What did he say?”

“He confirmed your story.” Was all Regina said.

Emma wanted to ask so many more things, like what would happen to the realms Emma left behind, but most of all, she wanted to ask if Regina knew about the True Love.

“Did he tell you how I can go home?” Emma asked as innocently as she could.

Regina shook her head. “That’s for us to figure out.”

“Us? So you’re going to help me?” She asked, a smile already starting to form on her lips.

Regina nodded. “The sooner you’re out of my sight, the better.”

Emma rolled her eyes at the comment, but chuckled, because, judging by the way Regina was studying Emma, the blonde knew that wasn’t the reason.

“Thank you.” Emma smiled, walking closer to Regina.

Regina shrugged. “It’s nothing.” 

Emma shook her head. “It’s not nothing. It means a lot to me. I want to go home, I want to bring Regina, my Regina, back home. So thank you. It means a lot.”

Regina nodded. 

Emma met Regina’s eyes, brown eyes so guarded in this realm, so out of her reach, and yet so familiar that made Emma’s heart swell. Even if she found every new Regina increasingly hard to read, Emma could still see that the brunette was holding something back. 

“Regina… why are you really helping me?” Emma whispered.

Regina seemed to hesitate, before she straighten her back and sighed, determination in her eyes. “Because... if there is at least one version of me that found happiness, I’m going to do everything I can to keep it that way. Not all of us have the luck of knowing love.” 

She stared at Emma with a determination in her eyes that made the blonde want to reach for her hand and hold her close, but quickly enough, the walls Emma knew all too well clouded Regina’s eyes, keeping her so out of Emma’s reach again. The reality that this Regina wasn’t the version of the brunette that would trust Emma with her life came crashing down on them, and Emma sighed, wishing she could quickly go back to the one that did. 


	7. Chapter 7

The next time Emma saw Regina, she was in the stables. 

“Thought you would like to stretch your legs and get out of that room of yours…” Regina said as a greeting while the same guard that took Emma for a walk the previous day lead Emma to the Queen. 

It was the first time Emma saw the Evil Queen dressed in anything other than her extravagant black dresses. Regina waited for her in dark riding trousers and had braided her hair in a way that reminded Emma of the Regina she left behind in the previous realm, making her heart catch in her throat. 

Regina looked beautiful, and didn’t really look like the Evil Queen anymore. But Emma knew better, and knew the dresses were nothing but a detail to the persona Regina had created for herself. The most terrifying, and fascinating, thing about the Queen was the imposing presence and the fire in her eyes that made every soul around her recognize the respect they ought to give her. It was something one could hardly leave behind, even after many years of trying to. Emma could still see some of that intensity in Regina, mostly when the brunette sets her mind to something. There is no one capable of stopping her then.

“Yes, I would do that more often if you didn’t have Goliath over here block my door.” Emma smirked as she approached the Queen. 

Regina replied with the same smirk, humour dancing in her eyes, and then nodded with a thoughtful look on her eyes.

“So… are we going for a ride?” Emma asked as the guard prepared a second horse for her.

“Yes, I thought I’d show you around. You do know how to ride a horse, right?” Regina asked once she mounted her horse.

“Yes, but I’m not very skilled. I had to learn here, in my realm we don’t use them that often.” 

Emma mirrored Regina and mounted the white horse that had been offered to her with one determined jump. Once she was secured on top of the horse, sure she wasn’t going to fall,  Emma straighten her back and waited for Regina to lead the way.

“Well, today is your lucky day, dear. I happen to know a thing or two about horses, and I’m feeling generous this morning. You might learn something today. Come, let me show you the gardens.”

Regina waited with a mocking smile on her face for Emma., who had already managed to stay behind, to catch up before heading to the royal gardens.

 

“So you do this every day?” Emma asked, sitting on top of the little hill at the back of the castle.

“I try to… but it gets busy when you have an entire kingdom to rule.” Regina said, as she joined Emma with a happy sigh.

Her braid was still intact after an entire hour of riding, even if Emma had struggled to keep her own blonde locks from breaking lose. 

“It was fun. Thanks for taking me with you.” Emma said after a few minutes of silence, looking at the impsing the castle in front of them. The castle that had given her chills when she first saw it, but was finally starting to feel familiar after almost a week living in it.

“You’re welcome. I didn’t know if you’d enjoy it, but I’m glad you did.” The brunette smiled and looked back to her property.

It never ceased to amaze Emma how every Regina she encountered was so much like the Regina she had grown to love, and yet so completely different. 

The Regina sitting next to Emma had more walls up than Emma had ever seen her Regina have in all their years of up and downs. Even if, after a pleasant ride and the confirmation that Emma was indeed there because she cared about her, the Queen was quite content, Emma could still see in her eyes how apprehensive she was. 

Regina’s change of behaviour since the first time Emma had seen her was a little astonishing, as the blonde never imagined the Evil Queen to be anything but extravagant. Emma still felt the familiar warmth in her chest at the idea of being even a little closer to Regina. 

On the other hand, there seemed to be a gap between the two women Emma still couldn’t cross. It was driving Emma crazy, after being so  _ open  _ with Regina in the previous realm, after finally getting to hold her and kiss her and tell her all her secrets, going to a place where she had to watch everything she said and had to keep her distance at all time was taking a toll on Emma.

“How did you learn to ride?” Emma asked, knowing Regina’s love for horses was always a good way to get to know her.

“I learned by myself. I grew up looking at the people of the village take care of their own horses, merchants would come often to buy our mirrors a couple of them let me take a ride on their horses. Eventually, I found an old horse in the woods. I think he had been abandoned. I took him in and named him Roscinante. I used to go out for hours  early in the morning to ride when I was younger.” Regina smiled. 

Wasn’t Regina part of the nobility?

“Your parents didn’t teach you?” Emma asked innocently, trying to get some more insight.

“My parents did nothing for me.” Regina snapped. Emma raised her hands to remind Regina she came in peace and Regina sighed. “Sorry. I’d just really appreciate not…  _ acknowledging  _ my parents.” She cringed.

“Okay, we can do that. How about you tell me more about Roscinante, then?” Emma smiled, and she knew she had said the right thing when Regina did, too.

 

“Can you tell me more about the Regina you know?” Regina asked one evening, a couple of days later, after their now daily riding lessons.

A happy sigh escaped Emma’s lips. “There’s a lot to say about my Regina.” She smiled, when she met Regina’s eyes. “What do you want to know about her?”

“How is she? How did you end up realm hoping to save her?” Regina leaned on the tree and closed her eyes, like she was waiting for a night time story.

“Well, she is very much like you. Fierce, determined… very loving to the few lucky ones she considers her family, very skilled in an absurd amount of domains,  _ great  _ cook, has had a lot to deal with in her life but managed to get through it just fine. An awesome woman.” Emma smiled.

Regina chuckled bitterly beside her. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly loving. I mean, people do call me the  _ Evil  _ Queen.”

“Things can change. My- The Regina I know used to be in your place too. It wasn’t easy, but now she’s in such a better place. She finally found a loving family. If anything, she’s the proof that Evil doesn’t have to stay that way.”

Regina opened her eyes and glanced at Emma. “She was in my place as in, she was queen?”

Emma nodded. “People also called her Evil Queen. She had a lot of anger in her, and she did for a long time. But eventually, that changed.”

“Lucky her.” Regina closed her eyes again.

“Hey, you can change too.”

Regina chuckled again. “You make it seem so easy…”

“I know it isn’t. I know what you’ve been through, or well, her. I’ve seen her struggle for so long, but I think she would agree it has been worth it. You have to find what motivates you to move forward, like a family.”

“Have you not noticed there has not been a person, other than you, to visit the castle? It has been that way ever since I can remember.” Emma knew Regina hated pity with every fiber of her body, but the blonde couldn’t help but feel sorry for the brunette next to her, clenching her jaw and looking far away to make this truth easier to accept. “Sometimes I think this is all there is for me.” Regina admitted after a long silence. 

“It’s easy to feel like that when things are tough… I’ve been there, believe me. But I promised this isn’t it for you. You’ll find people who care for you.”

Regina laughed. “Where? Because everywhere I go, people run. All my life, it has been people leaving me. At least now I chose to make it that way.”

“Well, hey, there’s me.” 

Regina met her eyes, like looking for a confirmation of what she had just heard Emma say. Emma smiled at the brunette, and in a rush of bravery, she reached for Regina’s hand. Regina stared at their joined hands and then at Emma with the vibrant curiosity in her eyes.

“I want you to know something, but I’m afraid it’ll be too much.” 

“Say it.” Regina whispered.

“I don’t really know what happens once I’m gone, once I leave the realm. I can’t really account for anything this Emma will do once I’m gone, but I can promise you that there is not a version of myself who isn’t infinitely grateful to have you in her life.” Emma gave the brunette’s hand a final squeeze. “So, even if what you say is true, and this is all there is, unfortunately for you, you still won’t get rid of me that easily.”

Regina chuckled again, amusement and amazement painted all over her face. When her eyes met Emma’s again, Emma finally saw the gap between them start to shrink. 

 

“So, how did you end up Queen?” Emma asked a couple of days later, shivering under her coat, while they rode along the edge of the forest, far from the castle.

Regina stayed quiet for a while, and when Emma was convinced she wasn’t going to answer the question, she chuckled bitterly. “I think anger got me this far.” Regina was riding in front of her, so Emma couldn’t see her face, but she had no doubt Regina’s eyes held the intense fire Emma knew all too well. “I knew I didn’t want to lead the same life as my mother, since I was very young. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life, for a while I thought maybe find a loving husband and become a mom. Have the loving family I never had. But quickly enough I realized men are unreliable. They will charm you and throw you aside when you’re not useful anymore.”

“And that meant you had to become Queen?” Emma asked, confused at the sudden change of plans in Regina’s life.

“No, I just claimed what was supposed to be mine all along.” Regina’s features grew sharp when Emma finally caught up with her.

“So you  _ were  _ royalty?” Emma pressed.

She had quickly learned that Regina wouldn’t miss an opportunity to get rid of what she considered a nuisance, person or situation, and the brunette had had nothing but opportunities to do get rid of Emma since she came to the castle. But she hadn’t. So Emma allowed herself to get increasingly comfortable by the Queen’s side. 

“My dad was a prince, yes. But he never claimed me as a daughter, not until I was about to put his head on a plate.” Regina said simply. 

Emma stared at Regina, all kinds of confused, waiting for the brunette to continue. Regina continued riding, seeming unbothered by Emma’s confused expression. Eventually, sensing Emma’s unwavering gaze on her, Regina sighed.

“My parents met when my mom was very young. She was… _ naive _ . She was a daughter of artisans, over in your parent’s kingdom, and my dad was the prince of this kingdom. They met when he was over in a diplomatic visit. He said all the right things, and she fell in love. Quickly enough, mother realized she was with child. Of course, they weren’t married, and that would’ve been a scandal in the kingdom.  _ The prince with an illegitimate daughter _ ? Never. So he left us, and never went back. Mother always blamed me for driving away the love of her life. So I spent my childhood hoping he would come back and take us with him. Of course he didn’t, and eventually that hope became rage. I grew up, realized both men and royals don’t deserve the time of the day. I got tired of my life as it was, and promised myself I wouldn’t end up with the same life as my mother. So I took the matters at hand and came to claim the throne.”

“He just… let you? After all those years? Did he even believe you were his daughter?” 

Regina laughed. “Of course not. He was the king by then, but no heirs. When I mentioned Cora, and he finally believed me, he tried to have an emotional family reunion. He wasn’t very happy when he found out the real reason I was there. He refused to let me have the throne, of course, so… I did what I had to do. So ever since, the Evil Queen title has followed me everywhere, because… who would do that to their  _ own father _ ?” 

The meaning of those last words gloomed over them for a moment, and they both decided to stay silent for a while.

“Did I manage to scare you yet?” Regina eventually asked.

Emma shook her head. “Nope.” She met Regina’s eyes and smirked. “He had it coming. You’re going to have to try harder next time.” 

Regina chuckled in disbelief. 

 

There were days Regina couldn’t look at herself in the mirror. There were days that she could barely sleep, and let alone live with herself. A long time ago she had tried to figure out who was all that anger directed towards. Her Father? Kings in general? King Leopold for letting so many people in his kingdom die of hunger while he led the most pampered life? Herself, for never being enough for anyone? She had wished the spell would show her anyone  _ but _ the person she already knew would appear. 

When she looked at the mirror, Regina wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see her reflection staring back at her, tears in her eyes. 

With a brief movement of her hand, Regina had shattered the mirror. 

She knew that already. Regina didn’t need a spell to tell her she was the person she hated the most. 

Now, walking to Emma’s room, frustration boiling in her veins and leaving a bitter feeling in her chest, she felt like she was back in that moment. She was confused and doubtful all the time when it came to the blonde, and she hated it. 

Sometimes, Emma’s strange talent of surprising Regina irritated her. Other times, liked hearing new things, and not the same old blame everyone placed on her. So, as she walked through to the blonde’s room, Regina was hoping Emma would tell her something Regina hadn’t been expecting, just like Regina had hoped the mirror would reveal a person Regina didn’t expect already. Just this once. Just this time, because Regina  _ needed _ to hear something different.

She opened the wooden door of the blonde’s room without even touching it, startling Emma, and swung the door closed behind her. “Did you mother ever tell you I killed your grandfather?”

“Jesus, Regina, good morning to you too.” Emma said, catching her breath and turning to face the Queen.

“Did she? Did she tell you I had him poisoned so he would know exactly what was coming for him? So he knew that he would die before the end of the day? Did she tell you how ruined the kingdom was during his rule? How ruined your kingdom still is under your  _ parents _ rule? Did Snow show you the pampered life the royals live while the peasants and artisans suffer? Or how there wasn’t a day your family didn’t let everyone know they were above them? Not considering it twice before humiliating someone?” Regina asked, each question progressively more bitter than the previous one.

“Regina, what is this all about?” Emma asked, still shocked at Regina’s sudden appearance in the room.

Regina chuckled and leaned on the edge of the window. “I’m guessing she didn’t tell you the first time we crossed paths?” Emma shook her head, but Regina didn’t even wait for that before she started again. “Your parents wedding was approaching, and they wanted to have the finest of everything. So king Leopold ordered the finest flowers, the finest musicians, and the finest cakes for his little princess’ wedding, while the rest of us struggled to find that day’s meal. Snow and Leopold were on their way back to the castle when I saw them. The king saw a poor artisans’ daughter and decided to offer what was left of their meal, in front of all the noble clowns that follow them around like mosquitoes, to the  _ poor _ girl.” Regina voice deepened with rage. “I wasn’t even 18 yet, I was a  _ child _ , and yet your grandfather still didn’t find a problem with parading his good deed of the day around the city, laughing and suggesting to repay him ‘in a couple of years’. I knew that day his head was next, after my father.”

“Regina, I’m so sorry-”

“And I promised myself,” Regina continued, cutting Emma short, “that I would make it my life goal to make their lives miserable. All of your family’s. Snow and your grandfather… they’re all the same.” Regina scoffed. “And then you walk into my castle, and- I get so confused. I  _ hate  _ being confused. All I’ve ever had in my life is anger and the certainty that anger brought me. I  _ hate  _ not knowing what to feel about you. I was so close to just getting everything over with that morning you show up… but I didn’t. I keep telling myself not to fall for your stories, I tried to remind myself all the horrors your family made me go through... and yet, lately all I look forward to is those few hours with you every afternoon. I can’t figure out why you don’t hate me like everyone else, and I can’t figure out why  _ I  _ don’t hate you like I promised myself I would hate every member of the royal family.” Regina hissed, and Emma sighed, confronted with the familiar scenario of her first years in Storybrooke. Regina’s eternal dilemma, it seemed.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Regina. I’m really sorry for everything you had to go through. I’ve always wondered the same things. I was never supposed to…” Emma hesitated. _Fall for you_? “befriend you. But sometimes love comes from the most unexpected people.”

Regina scoffed again. “I don’t love you.”

Emma sighed, pretending it didn’t cut deep in her chest. “But I do. And I never expected that to happen, it was never supposed to be that way. But… I guess that’s the type of thing you can’t control. I wish I could answer why I don’t ‘hate you like everyone else’, but there truth is… I don’t know. I just don’t. And I think you might have to make peace with the fact that you probably won’t have a concrete answer either.”

All rage and all determination was now erased from Regina's eyes, as she stared at Emma with a incredulous look on her eyes. “You… love me?”

Emma shrugged, avoiding Regina’s gaze. “I know, honestly _always_ knew, I love my version of Regina. But lately I’ve discovered I might actually love every version of you there is.”

“How?” Regina whispered. 

Emma sighed, meeting Regina’s eyes, hoping to show Regina she was being a honest as she could possibly be. “I don’t know. It eventually became clearer and clearer to me that I was falling for you, and it eventually came down to whether or not I was willing to find out what was at the end of that mess of… emotions and contradictions and everything that had happened. We got closer, and I decided you were worth all that confusion. I suddenly wanted to know where all of that would lead. So I let myself just fall for you and it got easier and easier to put all that behind us.”

Regina eyed Emma for a moment, looking exhausted and like she was desperately trying to get some clarity too. Finally, she sighed, and walked out again after giving Emma a shy attempt of a smile.

 

Emma didn’t see Regina that afternoon. When she got to the stables, Regina had already taken her horse and was nowhere to be seen. Emma rode alone, hoping Regina would get to a conclusion soon, and took the time to think about this realm’s dynamics. 

It didn’t surprise her to hear about Snow. This realm’s Snow barely knew her own children, even if she had seen them grow up, something she didn’t get in Emma’s realm. She was more preoccupied with the court and the noble’s opinion about them, than actually  _ running _ the kingdom. The blind adoration Snow had towards her father and Leopold’s own actions did seem in place, though.

Emma couldn’t blame Regina for being so confused. As confused as Emma had been when she first moved to Storybrooke, after the curse broke, and she and Regina had to figure out how to tolerate each other and Emma wondered how that would ever happened. But then, it did happen and Emma was a mess of contradictory feelings about the brunette for the longest of times. Regina frustrated her like no one else had, but Emma started to feel like her day just wasn’t complete without seeing Regina. Suddenly, the frustration the brunette seemed to bring into her life wasn’t  _ that  _ bad after all.

But now, Emma knew how peaceful it was to make the choice of leaving all of that in the past and moving on… and she hoped Regina could find that too.

 

“Emma?” Regina asked after a particularly quiet afternoon spent together riding around the castle and sitting under apple trees. “Tell me more about your life in Storybrooke. About your life with Regina.”

It had taken Regina a couple of days to come back to Emma. And when she did, the conversation still hovered over them as they rode their horses in silence for most of the afternoon. 

Slowly, they got used to each other’s presence again. And the conversation finally started once they had silently agreed to move on from  _ the  _ talk.

Emma sighed. “There is so much to tell. You and I have had a long history.” She chuckled, remembering the all the petty arguments they had had before they decided to try friendship. “You casted a curse that sent everyone in the Enchanted Forest to the realm I’m from. You wanted to hurt my parents, but I managed to escape it when I was just a baby. I grew up in multiple homes that weren’t really mine. People took care of me and the other kids because they were paid to do so, but I never knew the unconditional love family is supposed to offer. Much like you… I guess that’s one of the things we have in common.” 

Regina looked at Emma with regret darkening her eyes, and Emma reached for her hand. It had happened a couple of times already, each time felt like the first, uncertainty and longing all mixed in Emma’s mind each time she reached for Regina’s hand.

“It’s okay. At least, now it is.” Emma smiled and then sighed, leaning on the tree they were sitting under. 

“How did you and I meet, then? How don’t you hate me?” Regina asked, concerned.

“I guess it was meant to happen. It sucked at first, for many years, but now I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Regina looked puzzled. “Our family makes every one of those years worth it.”

“Our family?” Regina whispered.

Emma nodded. “Uh-huh. So I can’t really hate you when your curse produced the most precious thing in our lives.” Emma smiled when she met Regina’s expecting gaze, her brown eyes not leaving Emma for one second, wanting to hear every word. “We met when our son brought me home, seven years ago.”

“ _ Our son _ ?” Regina’s voice was equal parts of amazed and disbelieving, as if what she was hearing was more of a fairytale than a reality to a version of her.

Emma smiled again. “His name is Henry. In our realm, your dad was… an  _ actual _ dad to you. Things are different.” Emma added when Regina started to frown. 

“How did he end up being  _ our  _ son?” 

“When I turned 18 I got pregnant. The father of the kid left me and I couldn’t handle the responsibility. I mean, I was a kid myself. So I gave Henry up for adoption and guess who adopted him.” Emma smiled with amusement at the irony of the Universe. Something she didn’t really appreciate back then, but now holds dear.

“Me?” Regina whispered once again.

“Yeah. You raised him by yourself for the first ten years of his life. He was an awesome kid when I met him, you did a great job with him. Then he brought me home, I broke your curse, and we had to figure out how to…. both be his mother. It was hard at first, you and I really struggled with that, but eventually we figured it out, and… honestly, I love our little family.”

A rush of nostalgia rook over Emma, like it did everytime she wondered how Henry might be handling the situation, about what was it like for Regina, and about the life they lead in Storybrooke. Never a simple little life, but lately so domestic, so easy and natural, it was crazy to Emma how long she managed to get by without it. And now she missed it like crazy.

Regina seemed mesmerized by the story, looking at Emma for a long moment after she finished talking, and finally sighing with a smile. “Our little family... I guess at least one version of me managed to get that.”

“You will too.” Emma said, with every intention of making that a reality. “We’ll figure something out, but every version of you is worthy of love.” 

“It has always been just me. I’ve never needed anyone else, and for a long time I thought that was my strength. But it gets exhausting. Always having to fight your way through life, all by yourself… I’m tired Emma.” This time, it was Regina who briefly squeezed their joined hands, looking at Emma with an affection she hadn’t seen in the eyes of the Queen until now. “Sometimes I still can’t believe someone would jump through dimensions without a clear way back for  _ me _ .”

“Well, you better start believing it, cause… here I am.”

Determination crossed through Regina’s eyes. “I will help you get out of here. You get back to your realm, to your family. To your Regina.”

 

When the autumn afternoons got too cold to ride, Regina started showing up at Emma’s room, at first coming with books to keep Emma entertained, but they were quickly forgotten when the two women prefered to talk. 

The small fire by Emma’s bed was lit that day, as the afternoon turned into evening, and Regina had yet again lost track of time in the blonde’s room.

“Tell me more about Henry…” Regina begged, resting her head against the wall and sitting next to Emma, on her bed.

“Did I tell you he loves writing?” Emma scooted closer to Regina, their arms touching.

“He does?” Regina asked, a smile forming on her lips.

“Yes! He’s a very talented writer. He’s actually going to get more education on creative writing this fall, he wants to become a writer.”

“I think he’s going to be the best writer.” Regina decided.

“I think so too.” Emma smiled, thinking about what the future held for their kid. “He loves to read, too. His favourite book was the one telling our story. Like, your story and my mom’s story and basically the story of every person you sent to that new realm. He loved reading about all of you and trying to figure out who was who.”

“What was my story like?” Regina asked, bracing herself for what she knew was probably yet another tragic story.

“You grew up with both your parents, and your mom wanted you to marry the king. King Leopold.” They both cringed. “So she crushed your first love’s heart and made you save Snow, when she was a child. You’re older than her in that realm, by the way. But you look the same age because your sort of… freezed time.” They both chuckled at the absurdity of it all. “The king proposed after you saved his daughter, and you were forced into that. Long story short, you were miserable and ended up killing Leopold and becoming Queen. Meanwhile, my mom grew up in the woods as a bandit, and eventually married Charming, my dad, and they got to the throne again. You casted the curse and I was separated from my parents, and was supposed to break the curse on my 28th birthday. And I did.” Emma smiled. “Then, as I told you before, we grew close, and to everyone’s surprise, ended up being friends.”

“So Henry knows about the Evil Queen?” Regina asked hesitantly.

“Yes, he does.”

“What does he think about that?” Regina asked.

“He struggled with that at first. He was… scared and didn’t understand you’d changed. But he eventually understood that was the case, and he knows you love him. So you’re alright now.” Emma smiled, Regina did, too. Probably relieved to hear that. “He was actually not on board with the whole ‘let’s separate the good and the bad and send the Evil Queen away’ thing. Neither was I. We both love all your sides.”

Regina sighed. “She’s really lucky to have you.”

“I feel like I’m the one who’s lucky to have  _ you _ . You’ve saved my life in more than one occasion, you know?” Emma chuckled.

“Yeah, but to have someone so unconditional…” Regina trailed off. 

Neither of them dared to speak for a while.

“Emma?” She called after a few moments of silence, “why have you never told that Regina that you love her?” 

“I don’t know. I guess I was too scared. Afraid she wouldn’t share the feeling and I would ruin the friendship we already had. Afraid of knowing the truth and not liking it, and not having at least that small hope of uncertainty I was holding on to.”

“You should tell her. I’m sure she feels the same way.” 

Regina turned to face Emma and took the blonde’s hand in hers. Emma’s heart swelled.

“I don’t know about that… Even if that was the case, I don’t even know if she wants to admit it to herself. She has had back luck with all that romance stuff.” Emma concentrated on their joined hands rather than on Regina’s intense gaze on her.

“I think that’s for her to decide…” Regina whispered.

“I know, I know. I think- I think I’ll tell her as soon as we get home.” She paused. “I think I have no choice.”

“What do you mean?”

Emma sighed. “Remember when I told you I didn’t know how to get out of this realm?” Regina nodded when Emma met her eyes. “Well… that’s not exactly true. I know how I left the last realm, but I didn’t know how to tell you and I don’t even know if it’ll work here, too.”

“What is it?” Regina whispered. 

Emma avoided the brunette’s gaze again, and instead looked at the fire ahead, tracing patterns on Regina’s hand like she used to do in the Roman looking realm she left behind, trying to bring back the sense of serenity she always felt when she did that.

“Emma? How did you get here?” Regina pressed, but when Emma refused to look up, blush burning her cheeks, Regina gently lifted her chin with her hand. “How did you get here?”

Emma wondered if Regina would freak out at the mention of True Love. She had a feeling that it was as big of a deal here as it was for Regina back in Storybrooke. All that Soulmate, True Love, destiny topic was sensitive.

Understanding crossed Regina’s eyes, and Emma could tell she was replaying their conversation in her head. ‘ _ I love every version of you _ ’, ‘ _ I didn’t know how to tell you _ ’, and Emma’s blushed cheeks, her refusing to meet Regina’s eyes…

“True Love’s kiss?” Regina whispered. Emma met her eyes and slowly nodded. “We’re True Loves?” The brunette asked again, just as shocked.

“Apparently.” 

Regina let go of Emma and leaned back again. It was a lot to take in.

“Are you okay?” Asked Emma after a few minutes.

“Yes, I’m just…” Regina shook her head, “You’ve known all along?” Emma nodded. “And that’s why you absolutely needed to go straight into the lion’s den?” 

“To get close to you.” Emma nodded. “To be fair, I didn’t really know how to ask you to kiss me. So I hoped you would keep me long enough to.. I don’t know, make you want to kiss me?” Emma sighed. “I don’t know, I didn’t really have a plan.”

Regina nodded and chuckled. “I can see that.” She faced Emma again. “Has it been hard? Having to get to know new people every time?” 

“Yeah, it has been a real rollercoaster. There’s so much to process and so much to learn in each realm… I feel like I’m walking on eggshells trying not to be too obvious, but I’m so tired. And then, there’s you. I wondered what it would be like to actually  _ have  _ something more than friendship with you and not just imagine it whenever I couldn’t sleep, and when I finally got that, when I finally got to kiss you… here I was, once again sent to a completely new place, and you were farther than you’ve ever been from me.”

Regina brushed her thumb over Emma’s hand softly, just looking at her and not daring to say anything. There was really nothing to be said, all she could do was listen to Emma and remind her she would hopefully be home soon. Even if a big part of Regina didn’t want to let her go.

Not yet. 

Not when Emma was the closest she had ever had to a friend, not when Emma was all soft hands and soft smiles, not when Emma was here telling her she loved every version of Regina, certainly not when Regina was finally starting to feel like home in this lonely castle, everytime she came to the little room at the far end of the hallway and found Emma with a welcoming smile.

Not when Emma was so closed she could feel her warmth more than she could feel the fireplace heat, not when Emma was looking at her with so much love in her eyes and was so close Regina could feel her breath on her. Not when their foreheads were touching and all Regina had to do was lean into the kiss.

She couldn’t let go of all of this just yet.

She couldn’t kiss Emma right now.

Regina sighed, pulling away from Emma. “I have to go, it’s late.” She whispered, and slipped out of the room.

 

Emma was dying to see Regina the next day, but the brunette’s day was entirely taken by all kinds of meetings with the council, and Emma started wishing Regina didn’t have a whole kingdom to run and could instead spend the day with her. Specially because she spent most of the night wondering about the moment they shared by the fireplace, and how would Regina react the next time they saw each other.

So Emma paced the hallways of the castle trying to distract herself by looking at the paintings and the diverse decorations Regina had all over the castle. It didn’t help that the gloomy and cold day made Emma want to go back to her room, and recreate their moment by the fireplace all over again. Just wanted to be close to Regina, really.

She had been so  _ close _ to Regina. So close to kissing her.  _ Regina _ was all her mind and heart could process in that moment. Her presence, her proximity, her warmth, her fresh perfume, her eyes looking at Emma so…  _ lovingly _ .

Emma’s heart lost it’s pace just thinking about the moment. The longing had been so imposing, so demanding, so hard to ignore. But part of Emma felt relief when Regina pulled away. She knew what would happen if they kissed. And Emma wanted that, she wanted to go  _ home _ . She wanted feel all those things with Regina, her Regina, this time. But... not yet. The part of her that was relieved, was also wishing for a little more time in this realm. With this Regina. This was a side of Regina she had rarely seen and Emma found so fascinating. And above all, wanted to see where this story would lead.

So as the dilemma played out in Emma’s head, all Emma’s heart wanted was to find Regina in the castle. Run into Regina or just consciously look for her, whichever happened first. All Emma knew was that today was no day to spend alone. No day to spend wondering if Regina would ignore the fact that they were about to kiss, wondering if she would be mad, because the Queen  _ was  _ unpredictable, or if she would want to continue the moment. 

Emma needed answers, and as the hours passed and she got tired of walking around the endless hallways and ridiculous amount of rooms without even catching a glimpse of Regina, Emma gave up and walked back to her own room by sunset. 

Her dinner was waiting for her on the little table in her room with a small note written in the ever so classy handwriting she would recognize anywhere.

‘ _ Emma, I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid this day has turned out to be longer than I expected and I won’t be able to make it in time for dinner. I really wanted to see you. -Regina’ _

Emma sighed and sank into one of the chairs to eat alone and read yet another one of the books Regina had left in her room. 

She took her time, since she didn’t really have anything better to do, and later a servant girl came to lit the fireplace and take Emma’s clothes once she put on her nightgown. 

The small hope Emma had that Regina might show up died when the castle grew quiet and the only sound were her sighs and gasps in reaction to her book. 

She was so immersed in it, she almost didn’t hear the door open.

“Oh, good you’re still awake.” Regina smiled, closing the door behind her. 

“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to show up today.” Emma beamed as Regina walked towards the bed and sat next to Emma with a sigh.

“I thought so too, I’m sorry I missed dinner.” She smiled apologetically.

“It’s okay, I know you have bigger responsibilities. What are you doing here so late?”

“I wanted to check on you and see if you were asleep.”

“Hm, so just an excuse to see me.” Emma teased.

Regina chuckled. “I guess that too, yes. I missed you today.” She gestured to the window. “But look outside.”

Emma turned to the window for the first time in hours, and just then realized it was snowing. The first snowfall of the season. 

“I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go for a walk outside. I’ve always thought the first snowfall is so magical.” Regina added when Emma looked back at her with an amazed expression on her face.

“Yes! Hold on, let me find my coat.” 

Emma was ready in blink of an eye, suddenly the old childish joy of playing in the snow brushing all tiredness away. Regina took Emma’s hand and guided her through the dark hallways, now only lit by the torches on the walls, until they were outside.

The cold night air hit their faces like a refreshing shower would in summer time. Every cell of Emma’s body was beaming under the small snowflakes, and she suddenly felt too warm in her coat.

“You look like a child.” Regina chuckled next to her, shaking her head. 

“Hey, didn’t you say snow was magical just two seconds ago? I think we can agree there is no other way to react to the first snowfall.” Emma said as they made their way down one of the paths of the royal gardens.

“I like your excitement, it’s contagious.” Regina said and squeezed Emma’s hands softly, the snowflakes, not yet big enough to stay, melting once they reached her hair.

They walked in silence, admiring the snow, and seeing the pines all around the garden grow whiter as the snowflakes piled on top of the branches. They were growing bigger now, some of them big enough to stay on Regina’s hair and not melt. She looked like she had dozens of little stars decorating her long braid.

“What are you looking at?” Regina said, both with a mocking tone and a barely visible blush on her cheeks.

“You. You look really beautiful right now.” Emma said before she could stop herself, but then discovered she actually didn’t want to stop herself. 

Regina did look beautiful, and Emma wanted her to know that. 

The blush on Regina’s cheeks deepened, more than Emma had ever seen before, though it was probably thanks to the cold. “So do you.” Regina admitted with a shy smile.

“I’m in my pajamas and my hair’s a mess.” Emma retorted.

“And yet you still manage to look breathtaking.” Regina's eyes had something in them, something that made then shine more than usual. Something so warm, Emma could feel it rising from her belly to her heart. 

Regina’s hand was soft in hers and the light caresses she traced over Emma’s hand as they walked even more so, making Emma feel both like she was dreaming and more grounded than ever. 

“Are you trying to seduce me?” Emma teased again, though tickles ran up and down her spine waiting for the answer she probably already knew.

Regina turned to face Emma, and with the softness she rarely let anyone see, pushed Emma’s hair behind her ear, then rested her hand on Emma’s cheek. Her eyes never left Emma’s, something that made the blondes heart beat harder and only for Regina. She had a way of making Emma feel lost in all the complexity of emotions she could display in her eyes.

Emma reached for Regina’s dress and gripped the black and red tissue to keep Regina close. Even if she had started to shiver just seconds ago, now Emma felt warmth start to fill her body again. 

Emma leaned on Regina’s hand and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, Regina was staring at her with a mix of admiration and hurt.

“What?” Emma whispered.

“I’m going to miss this when you’re gone.” 

Hurt made its way into Emma’s chest when she had been feeling so warm and content until then. 

She would miss it too. Emma had no way of knowing what would be waiting for her in Storybrooke. And, after spending weeks and even months with these Reginas, Emma couldn’t help but dread leaving them too.

“Me too.” Emma whispered again.

“You have a Regina, a family, to go home to. I have one other than you.” Regina’s voice thickened and Emma recognized the pain the brunette refused to show.

“I have as many uncertainties waiting for me as you do. There is no way to know what Regina, the Regina waiting for me at home, will feel when she wakes up. There is always a possibility that she won’t want any of this.” Emma shivered, the warmth keeping her content was finally gone.

“You’re shivering, Emma. Let’s get you back inside.” Regina pulled her hand away from Emma’s face and took a step back.

“No!” Emma protested. “I want to stay with you a little longer, I haven’t seen you all day.” 

Regina looked at Emma as if considering something for a moment, and then squeezed Emma’s hand. “Let’s go inside. There is plenty of room in the castle to stay together and not freeze to death.”

Regina lead Emma back into the castle the same way they had come in. Walking through the dark hallways, between the torches, Emma quickly warmed up again.

“Where are we going?” Emma asked when she realized they weren’t taking the way to her room.

“To my bedchambers.” Regina replied.

It was the first time Emma would be back since her first morning in the castle. She didn’t really know what Regina had in mind, but she hoped she could stay there the whole night. She was tired, and still a little cold, and wanting nothing more than be in Regina’s arms for a while.

The guard in front of Regina’s door opened it as soon as he saw them walk over the small bridge that lead to the Queen’s room, and closed it behind them. 

“Make yourself comfortable.” Regina said before disappearing behind a curtain. 

Emma put her coat on a chair by the door and scanned the room. She found more details that seemed more Regina than the last time she was here, like a small apple tree that held a gold and red necklace, and a book on the nightstand, but the room still felt too impersonal.

“You can touch things, you know. It’s not a museum.” Regina’s voice startled Emma, who was still concentrated on the tiny apple tree. “You don’t want to sit? You look tired.” She added once Emma turned around to face her.

She had changed into her night gown as well, and the red lipstick was gone, making her face look softer, which made Emma smile. Regina blushed and looked down.

“I didn’t know…”  _ if you wanted me to sit on your bed _ , Emma trailed off when Regina looked at her disapprovingly.

On Emma’s defense, this Regina was pretty unpredictable and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

“I would want you to? I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t, Emma.” Her voice softened in the last part. “You said you wanted to spend more time together and your room is too small, so I thought this was the best next thing. If you don’t feel comfortable, please tell me.”

“No, I do. I just wanted to make sure, that’s all.” Emma finally sat on the bed, next to Regina. “So… is this like a sleep over?” 

Regina chuckled. “Well, it can be whatever you want to make of it.”

“Will you braid my hair? This is no proper sleep over without braiding each other’s hair.” Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes, but gestured for Emma to scoot closer and Emma was surprised when she actually felt Regina’s fingers combing her hair. 

Emma sighed, leaning into the touch.

“God, you’re like a kitten.” Regina laughed. 

“I like the attention, what can I say.” Emma smiled, and quickly had to start fighting sleep as it rushed all at once the second Regina starting braiding her hair.

“You don’t have to fight sleep, Emma.” Regina’s voice was soothing, but Emma could tell she was still amused by the blonde’s insistence on spending just a little more time with Regina. “I’m still going to be here in the morning.”

“I know,” Emma turned to her when Regina was done and Emma’s hair was neatly pulled in a braid, “but… I just don’t want it to be over just yet.”

Regina sighed and put the fire of the torches off with a quick movement of her hand. She moved under the red silk sheets, got comfortable in her bed, and gestured for Emma to do the same.

“You’re holding on to every little second…” Regina commented once they were facing each other in the darkness of the room. Emma nodded and looked for Regina’s hand again. The brunette laced their fingers together. “You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” She whispered, eyeing their joined hands and brushing her thumb on Emma’s hand.

“Yeah…” Emma admitted.

Regina nodded. 

They stayed silence for a while both enjoying the proximity, and Emma starting to drift off.

“Part of me doesn’t want to, though.” Emma mumbled, fighting sleep. Regina look at Emma with a mix of curiosity and hope. “I mean, I’m going to miss this. I’m going to miss you. I can’t handle the idea of not getting to be this close to you again, and sometimes I don’t even want to think about leaving you. But I know I have to go back. There’s a part of me that can’t stay away from home for much longer.”

“I know… And you should go. Go back to your life and your family, and your Regina. She’s very lucky to have you, you know?” Regina smiled. “Go and make her see how lucky she is. I’m sure she already knows, but just in case, remind her to never let you go. Not everyone is that lucky, and if she’s anything like me, I’m sure that’s something she knows a couple of things about.”

“You really think she will ever see me… like this? Like you do?”  _ Will I ever get to have my happy ending with her? _

“I’m sure she already does. I can’t imagine a version of myself that isn’t incredibly grateful to have you in her life.” They both smiled at the familiar words.

Emma sighed and moved closer, close enough to feel Regina’s breath run down her chest.

“This is nice...” Emma whispered.

Everything was a blur at the moment, but a good one. Emma was half way between asleep and awake, the warmth of the sheets and the contentment of being this close to Regina making it so easy to just give into sleep. Regina was tracing patterns on her hand so softly, tickles ran up Emma’s arm. Her perfume, always so fresh, was all Emma could smell being this close to Regina.

Under heavy eyelids, Emma looked at Regina and met her eyes. She was already staring at her, like memorizing everything she could about Emma before she was gone. 

Regina looked just as mesmerized by the moment as Emma felt. Her eyes were a warm shade of brown, and she had a peaceful look on her face. Her eyes letting Emma lose herself in them before turning to her lips, and then glancing back between Emma’s eyes and Emma’s lips for a while, until their foreheads brushed against each other and their lips were oh so close again. 

Everything in Regina seemed to pull her closer and it was tempting to give in and finally kiss her.

But as Regina leaned into the kiss Emma moved back just enough to keep their lips from touching.

“Not yet.” She whispered when Regina looked at her with questioning eyes. 

Emma pressed a kiss on the tip of her fingers and rested her hand softly on Regina’s cheek like the brunette had earlier that night. “Not yet.” Emma whispered, but this time Regina seemed to understand ‘not yet’ was Emma telling her she wasn’t ready to  _ go _ yet.

Regina nodded, leaning into the touch and pressed their foreheads together until they both fell asleep.

 

“Your majesty,” a deep voice wakes Emma up from a pleasant dream, “Snow White is outside castle’s gates and she has an army with her.” Those words made every last bit of sleep Emma still had in her vanish, and both her and Regina jumped out of the bed.

“What do you mean an army?” Regina asks, already opening her balcony doors.

Surely enough, as Emma peeks over Regina’s shoulder, she sees soldiers carrying shields with Snow’s symbol on them. There are hundreds stretching from the castle gates all the way to the forest in an organised line.

“They just showed up, they want princess Emma back.” The guard added from the door, where he was still standing.

“Did you know about this?” Regina asked Emma as she closed the doors of the balcony again.

“No!” Emma shook her head, “I had no idea she would do that. I even wrote her a letter telling her I was okay.” 

Regina sighed. “I doubt that would’ve convinced your mother. If there’s anything she has done right in her life, is never trusting me.” Regina smirked.

In only a couple of minutes they were out of Regina’s bedroom and on their way to the castle’s gates. Emma was starting to feel restless as she walked by Regina’s side, the brunette’s soldier obediently following them.

Snow was on her horse, David by her side, both waiting for Emma when the two women reached the gates. 

With a quick movement of her hand, Regina magicked the gates open. 

“What are you doing in  _ my _ kingdom?” The brunette asked, actually angry.

“You know very well why we’re here, Regina.” Said Snow, stepping down from her horse. “We’re here to take Emma home.”

“Emma’s not going anywhere.” Replied Regina taking a stepped towards Snow.

“Let her go Regina, and there will be no conflict.” David stood next to Snow, looking at Regina as convingly as he could manage.

“She’s not going anywhere unless she wants to.” Repeated Regina.

“I’m fine. You didn’t have to come all the way here, I told you I was fine.” Said Emma, stepping closer too.

“Sweetie, how well can you be here with  _ her _ ?” Asked Snow, concerned.

Regina flinched and Emma sighed. “I am  _ fine _ . You can go, I promise I’m okay.”

Both Snow and David looked confused. “‘You can go?’ What do you mean we can go? What about you?”

Suddenly, all eyes were on her, including Regina’s curious eyes. Emma looked back at her parents.

“I want to stay here with her.” She finally said, the determination in her tone almost daring them to disagree.

“ _ Stay here _ ? Emma, are you crazy? Did she manipulate you into saying that?” Snow looked offended, as Emma predicted she would. 

Emma stepped even closer to her, and from the corner of her eye saw Regina tense as Emma walked by her towards Snow. She took Snow and David’s hands and sighed.

“No, I want to stay here with Regina. Here, I feel more like myself, and here’s where I want to stay. Regina didn’t do anything, it’s my choice, and I want you to honour that.” 

“What do you want us to do? Go back without you?” David sarcastically asked, and when Emma didn’t respond, he gasped. “But what about the kingdom? You’re the heir.”

“Leo can be as good, if not a better, king than me.  He has more time to learn the ‘ways of our people’. And he likes being there, in the centre of attention, more than I do.” Both Snow and David were speechless. “I love you guys, but it’s time you go back to your kingdom. Without me.”

“Emma,” Snow looked like she could burn holes through Emma’s clothes with her eyes, “if you stay here, with this  _ woman _ … that’s it. You can’t come back home. Make your choice wisely, because this is your final chance.” 

Emma looked around, at her parents, at the soldiers behind them, at the imposing castle that was starting to feel like home, and finally at the brunette that Emma had come looking for and that she couldn’t bear leaving behind.

“So… if I choose to stay, you’ll go and never come back?” Emma asked. 

“Yes.”

Emma sighed. “I love you guys, and I’m sorry… but I’m not leaving.” 

Emma heard a light chuckle from somewhere behind, a mix between a chuckle of surprised content and a sigh of relief, and knew she had made the right choice. 

When she looked at her parents again, they were looking at her with the hurt of a betrayal in their eyes. Snow shook her head in disapproval and mounted her horse again.

“I never expected this from you.” She said, as Emma stepped back into the castle grounds again.

“Then maybe you didn’t know me all too well in the first place.” 

When Emma finally turned around, the joy in Regina’s eyes made them a shade lighter, and the smile on her face made  _ Emma  _ feel a bit lighter, too.

 

The sun was shining through the balcony, Emma and Regina were still in bed, Emma running her fingers through chocolate curls, by the time noon came around. 

Today is the day.

Regina sighed, taking a wondering Emma back into reality. “What do you think will happen when you’re gone?”

Emma sighed as well, hoping she could know what was waiting for all of them, this Regina, previous realm’s Regina, her Regina, the Emmas’ whose lives she took over when she arrived to their realms…

“I don’t know.” Emma smiled apologetically, resting her head on her pillow close to Regina. “I wish I knew.”

“Me too. I’m not ready to go back to… to before.” 

“And I don’t know what I will go back to and that scares me. I’m not ready for that either.” Getting to fall asleep in Regina’s arms and having that look of love specially for her was not something Emma wanted to give up. Not after knowing what it felt like.

It was easier before. All she did was imagine, and even that happened very rarely, as she only allowed herself so much emotional suffering before busing herself with something else and forcing her mind to forget it. But now she  _ knew _ . And she would _ miss _ it instead of long it. And that changed everything.

“I guess we’re going to have to make of it what we can.” Regina sighed again. “In your case, I guess telling Regina, your Regina, the True Love’s kiss situation will help your case.”

“I just don’t know how to tell her… ‘Hey there, remember the time you split your soul? The thing you’re probably still trying to process? Well I saved you because we’re True Love’s and our lives will forever be intertwined because of that and that son we share. _ I love you _ .’”

“Might work if you rephrase it.” Regina chuckled.

“ _ Please _ , as if there’s anything you hate more than someone telling you what your future will be like.”

“You can leave that part out. Consider mentioning the True Love’s kiss to her when she asks you how you saved her, and let her make of it what she wants. I have a feeling you both, we both, want the same thing.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“Neither of us is sure of anything.” Regina reminded her, “but I want to think I would still choose you in any realm. Here I am, waiting and hoping, this realm’s version of you does the same thing. She already has your love, I don’t think she’ll take it for granted.” 

Emma sighed. “I’m sure she will choose you too.” Regina looked skeptic still, and Emma couldn’t blame her. She was stretching these last moments they had together as much as she could. “I know this realm’s me will choose you, as I would always choose Regina.”

Regina would have rolled her eyes if she wasn’t already trying to keep down all the emotions this whole situation brought up in both of them.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Regina finally said. “It sounds like you already have a life with her, a  _ family _ , that she doesn’t take for granted, I’m sure. And… well, I couldn’t imagine a version of myself who wouldn’t be incredibly grateful to have you in her life.” They both laughed. 

“Hey! That’s my line.” Emma chuckled, resting a soft hand on Regina’s cheek and admiring the brunette for a few moments. 

They hadn’t left the bed since they woke up that morning. They had agreed that day would be the day, it was time for Emma to go home, but when the day finally did arrive, neither of them could bring herself to actually do it. 

So they laid in bed hoping and wondering and admiring the moments they still had. Regina looking at Emma, like she didn’t want to miss a detail, her make up free face making her look so much softer, it was hard to imagine this girl with curls all around her pillow and lazy smile was the infamous  _ Evil Queen _ . The whole morning had just been their joined hands between them, soft caresses and last smiles.

“I love you, you know.” Emma whispered. “I think I actually do love every version of you.”

Regina smiled. “Me too.” It came out a whisper too.

Emma’s heart swelled as much as it sank. Hearing Regina say that for the first time right now made it so much harder to go back to Storybrooke, not knowing if she would ever hear that again from her made Emma want to hold on to this moment for as long as possible.

But  _ god  _ she missed her family.

“I think it’s time I go back now.” Emma said, the words getting caught in her throat.

Regina nodded. “I guess it’s time.”

Emma brushed her fingers over Regina’s cheek for a moment. “It’s okay. We’ll be okay. Make sure not to let this Emma go and I’ll make sure to do the same with my Regina. We’re True Loves after all.”

Regina nodded, and did her best to smile. “Okay.”

She only had to get a centimeter closer for their noses to touch, and then their foreheads were pressing together. Regina smiled one last time. Their lips hovered, almost touching, Emma felt the tickles run up and down her body, and her breath get caught in her throat before finally closing her eyes.

“I love you.” Regina whispered before finally leaning in.

Their lips touched and Emma sighed into the kiss as she felt the familiar energy rush through her. She couldn’t decide whether it was because of the True Love’s kiss or all the anticipation finally getting fulfilled.

Emma gave into the kiss, and slowly, Regina’s soft skin under her palm, Regina’s perfume, Regina’s lips on her became a sensation, and Emma felt it dissipating like waking up from a dream.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma wakes up startled like she was falling off the bed. 

It takes her a moment to realize she’s back in her parent’s bed, a mix between a sigh and a sob of pure relief escaping her lips. 

Voices out of focus approach, and she feels Mary Margaret’s arms around her before she can process the fact that she is  _ actually  _ home. 

“Emma! Oh my god, you’re back!” Her mother beamed, almost crushing Emma in her arms. “I was so worried!”

“Mom!” Emma’s heart swelled when she heard Henry’s voice as he came rushing into the room to greet her. Mary Margaret stepped away just in time for Henry to launch himself into Emma’s arms. “I missed you! I can’t believe you’re finally back!”

Henry was almost a man, and yet sometimes he managed to sound just like the little boy that showed up at her doorstep so many years ago.

“Hey…” Emma whispered when Henry finally let go. “I missed you too, kid. It felt like forever.” 

She held Henry for a little longer, until a thought crossed her mind. 

“How long was I out?” Emma asked, when the memories of  _ months  _ spent by Regina’s side came rushing back to her.

“A couple of weeks.” Said David, already taking her in his arms as soon as Henry let go.

Relief rushed through Emma’s body. She had actually feared it had been months. 

The image of Regina crossed Emma’s mind and she realized she hadn’t seen her yet.

Emma felt Regina before she actually saw her. Something brushed her hand as she put it back on the bed, and, turning around, she saw Regina laying next to her, eyes closed and the same peaceful expression on her face since Emma left. Regina still asleep since Emma left. 

“Emma, how did it go?” Snow asked. “Why is she still asleep?” 

They all stared at Regina while she laid perfectly still, looking exactly the same she did the morning of the…  _ accident _ . Black dress, short hair, only now her make up was gone and her burgundy blazer rested on the chair in the corner.

“I- I think I know why.” Emma turned back to face her parents and then Henry, who were looking at her with a concerned expression. 

She stood up, her knees feeling weak after two weeks of laying on the bed, and made her way to Regina’s side. She knelt until she was almost at Regina’s level. A last glance at her parents, who were looking at her with a puzzled expression now, and Emma sighed.

There was no reason why it wouldn’t, but Emma still found herself hoping the kiss would work. And she wished with all her might Regina would want this as much as Emma did.

She leaned closer, lips hovering over Regina’s in a last moment of hesitation, she heard the three spectators collectively gasp, and finally touched Regina’s lips with hers.

The rush of energy never ceased to amaze Emma. The softness of Regina’s lips never ceased to amazed Emma, as well as the incredible feeling of getting to kiss her. 

She opened her eyes to see the light radiating from their kiss this time, and Regina joined her right after, opening her eyes and gasping for air. 

Relief rushed through Emma again, because,  _ finally _ , after everything they went through, Regina was awake and safe. Emma wanted to crush her in a hug, if it wasn’t for Henry, who was already on his way to do exactly that.

“Mom!” Henry jumped on the bed and onto Regina before Emma could even look back at the brunette. 

Emma heard Regina chuckle somewhere between Henry’s quickly successive questions, and stood up, looking at Snow, who was looking between Emma and Regina like she had just witnessed a miracle. 

“Emma…” She said under her breath, barely audible from where Emma was standing, while Emma looked unsure of what to do next.

She still hadn’t dared to look a Regina, and a part of her was grateful Henry was demanding Regina’s attention at the moment.

“Hey, guys, what was that light-” Zelena’s voice startled Emma. “Regina? You’re awake!”

Zelena, who had just walked into the room, barely acknowledged Emma, giving her a quick hug, before joining her sister’s side and whispering something about Regina being an idiot before taking the brunette into a bone crushing hug.

Emma stepped back, watching the three Mills share a moment after two extremely stressing weeks. Neither of them really looked alike, but for some reason, they still made sense together. As a family. It just seemed right.

She finally met Regina’s eyes as Henry pulled Emma into the family moment by the arm, asking questions about the adventure. Regina was already staring at her when Emma turned around to face her, and her breath caught in her throat. Regina’s eyes looked so much like she had last seen them, under the morning light, in the bed, about to kiss her... and yet so much more familiar. The eyes she had been admiring for the last seven years staring back at her, finally the right Regina staring at Emma. A mix between an understanding and tender expression took over Regina’s eyes, and, without saying anything, Emma knew the brunette was happy to see her too. 

Finally looking at the right Regina made Emma’s chest flood with joy and pure relief. 

An indescifrable expression spread on Regina’s features. Understanding? Tenderness? Gratefulness? Yearning? Emma couldn’t pinpoint, but she didn’t dare to look away from Regina. Emma was mesmerized by Regina and almost drunk of relief at seeing her again. When Regina smiled at Emma, a wide smile spread on Emma’s face as well.

Mary Margaret’s voice pulled her away from her bubble. “Okay, Henry, let’s give your moms a moment to breathe.” 

Mary Margaret put her arm around Henry, and offered to make something to eat so Emma could tell the story of what had happened over dinner. 

She needed that moment of rest. She needed to sort out her thoughts and feelings, and maybe even  _ not _ think at all for a few minutes.

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Emma said, catching a last glance at Regina, sitting on the bed with the same expression on her face, before David put his arm around her shoulders and lead her out of the room, soon followed by the rest of the family.

 

“It was really confusing.” Emma started when they finally settled around the table. “But  I eventually figured out I hadn’t gone back in time. I thought I was in the Roman Empire at first, almost nothing has changed in that realm so it really feels like I travelled back in time. But that’s just how that realm developed.” Emma took a bite of the grilled cheese Mary Margaret had done for dinner. It was both easy to do and Emma’s favourite. “Dad is a consul back there, and Ruby was our maid. Regina, you’re parents are senators and… we are childhood friends.”

“Cool!” Henry beamed, “so are you like… best friends there?”

Emma smiled. “Something like that, kid.”

Regina was already eyeing Emma with an amused smile when Emma met her eyes. Maybe the hesitation was more obvious than Emma had predicted. She kept eating her grilled cheese hoping the brunette wouldn’t ask more about that, she had no desire to into detail about their friends-to-strangers-to-friends-to-lovers relationship, specially right now.

“How did you figure out how to get back?” Snow asked.

Emma paused and, if it wasn’t for the light blush on Regina’s cheeks, she would’ve started panicking. But Regina eyed her own grilled cheese like it was another one of Henry’s school projects and it deserved all her attention at the moment. 

“Regina and I figured it out quickly enough.” She mumbled, hoping Snow would understand and leave it there.

Emma wanted nothing more than clearing things out with Regina. She wanted nothing more than to have that conversation and finally get the answer she had been hoping for so long. But Emma realized she was more tired than she had expected, all of the emotions crashing on her and making her feel so overwhelmed she could barely sit through the dinner with her family without breaking down.

She wanted to cry, whether it was of relief to be back, of missing Regina, a Regina who would actually want to hold her later when they went to sleep, or because she could finally dwell on how stressing the whole experience had actually been. Regardless, she had no energy to spare on that conversation right now.

“So, were there like Gladiators and everything?” Henry asked, breaking the silence.

Emma chuckled. “I don’t know, didn’t have time to check that out. I did stay for their version of Saint Valentine’s day, it’s called Lupercalia. It’s fun. People think they will find their soulmates that way.”

Henry looked disappointed with the answer but Snow looked very charmed. “Did you go with anyone?”

This time, Emma was the one blushing. “We went together, all the family. Regina and her parents came too. Though, there is no Neal in that realm. It’s just the three of us.”

Snow hugged the little boy in her arms and pouted. “No little Neal? That’s sad.”

“Well, the timelines weren’t the same as our current timeline. Maybe no little Neal  _ yet _ . I think time actually went how it was supposed to and you guys were older. I was younger and Regina was younger too.” Emma met Regina’s eyes. “You know, that Regina was sort of what I imagine younger you to be.”

“She was?” Regina asked, looking at her with the soft expression Emma had last seen in the Evil Queen’s bed, sending tingles up Emma’s spine.

“Loves books, hair always in a braid, a total smartass, your apple tree by your window, sarcastic but your voice was so soft I wouldn’t have believed it was you if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.” 

Regina chuckled. “That does sound like me…”

“We ended up escaping the city because your mom wanted you to marry this… random dude. Last thing I saw was you and I in a house by the beach. I don’t know what happened after, I got sent away after that.”

“To the Evil Queen’s realm?” Snow asked.

“Yes. In that realm, I was stuck in a tower, the Evil Queen wanted my head on a plate because of old conflicts with the family. You guys decided it was time for me to learn how to rule a kingdom, but I needed to talk to her, so I went to Regina’s castle and she almost didn’t believe I had turned myself in so easily.” A collective laughter echoed in the room.

“You have to be a special kind of dumb to hand yourself to your enemy like that.” Said Zelena. 

Regina rolled her eyes.

“I needed to talk to her. And she believed me. Eventually. She believed my realm hopping story and helped get back.”

“Was it hard to deal with the Queen? No offense, Regina, but if she was anything like  _ you _ were… I mean, you can be pretty unpredictable.” David said.

“Yeah, I little. I thought it was amusing.” Emma shrugged, feeling Regina’s eyes on her and not daring to look at her.

She had been looking at Emma like she knew Emma was not telling the whole story, and Emma was afraid to crack under the pressure and say too much too soon. She wasn’t prepared for that conversation right now.

“What did that version of ourselves say? I don’t think I would’ve been happy with you going there.” Snow pointed out.

“Uh…” There really was no way to tell your parents you chose their mortal enemy over them, no matter the realm. “You were okay with it. You understood I needed to go back.” Emma lied, hoping her parents would never end up in that realm, because they were in for a surprise.

She finally met Regina’s eyes, kind of to test the credibility of her answer, because, if Regina believed it, anyone would. The brunette always had this way of knowing the truth when it came to Emma. Maybe that was their thing. 

To Emma’s surprise, though, Regina didn’t seem to even pay attention to the last exchange, and was looking at Emma with a rather… familiar expression. 

A relief, or maybe even joy, that made Regina’s eyes glow so much it almost looked like they were a shade lighter. The look that made Emma feel lighter. The exact same look she had seen on the brunette’s face when Emma had sent her parents back to their own kingdom and decided to stay with Regina.

Emma smiled at Regina, all too mesmerized by the tenderness of her eyes, before an idea started to crip into her mind. Regina had looked everything but surprise during the whole story. Everytime Emma met her eyes, the brunette was already staring back at her with a different look every time, each more breathtaking than the previous, but not really reacting to the story. Not like everyone else.

“Did she throw you in the dungeon?” Henry asked.

“No, actually, she gave me my own room.” 

“That can barely be called a room.” Retorted Regina, a knowing glow in her eyes.

The question showed on Emma’s eyes before she could actually say it out loud.

“You  _ remember _ ?” Emma asked. “How- You were conscious there? How did you know?” The questions piled up in Emma’s mind and eventually mixed into giant blur of confusion and astonishment.

“I… guess I do. I don’t think I was conscious. It was more like a dream. I couldn’t decide what to do, it was like watching it through someone else’s perspective.”

“The perspective of that realm’s Regina...” Emma said.

“Exactly. So I could just.. watch. Like watching a movie, or dreaming. Otherwise, we would’ve been out of there sooner the second time.” Suddenly, the knowing look on Regina’s eyes made sense.

And it made Emma’s heart flip. She couldn’t decided what Regina meant by that. They would’ve kissed earlier? Maybe in one of the many opportunities they had but neither of them had dared to? Or she just meant she would’ve left so she didn’t have to live in the skin of the Evil Queen anymore? Or to escape the lonely feeling that probably came with that title? Or just to get it over with?

Emma’s head was spinning. 

The tender and the understanding looks Regina had been giving Emma ever since they woke up were because she remembered as much as Emma did. Regina remembered all the things they said to each other and all the things Emma had left out of the story she was telling. She  _ knows  _ about them being True Love, and had kept quiet until the end. Possibly to see how Emma would handle it. It does sound like something Regina would do. Wait and hear and wait for Emma’s reaction before saying anything. 

If she could remember, she knew what Emma felt about the whole situation. But Emma didn’t know what  _ Regina  _ felt about it all. Regina had been there, heard every word. She had been there when Emma chose to run away with her, and chose her over her parents. She knew everything she needed to know, but Emma had nothing other than looks to work with.

The tiredness, the emotions, the shock and possibly the grilled cheese made Emma’s stomach twist. She needed to rest before her heart couldn’t handle it anymore.

“I think- I think I’ll go to sleep now. I’m tired, and it has been a long couple of weeks for me.” Emma said, standing up. 

Nobody objected, and after leaving a kiss on Henry’s forehead, she quickly made her way upstairs.

She barely heard Snow tell Regina to stay overnight, at least this one time, so she could make sure both Emma and Regina were alright. Regina didn’t seem happy, to absolutely no one’s surprise, but an exasperated sigh from her and a mumbled ‘okay’ was the last thing Emma heard before closing the door of her bedroom.

 

At some point, about an hour later, Snow came into Emma’s room and Emma pretended to be asleep.

Regina and Henry had taken her parent’s bed, Snow had no problem with sleeping next to Emma, David took the couch and Zelena refused to stay. 

So, when the house finally went dark, Snow left a kiss on Emma’s cheek before falling asleep faster than Emma thought was humanly possible, and Emma was left alone with her thoughts.

Which were as messy as they had been at the dinner table. At this point, Emma was planning all the ways she could avoid Regina for the next few years. Everything was on the table now, everything concerning Emma, at least, and Emma couldn’t help but feel vulnerable and exposed. She had planned to tell Regina at some point, but hoped she would get a few days to think about it and maybe do it at her pace. 

But now Regina knew everything and Emma was left with more questions than she had before leaving Storybrooke in the first place.

Even though Emma wanted to hear Regina’s thoughts more than anything, have a yes and live the happy ever after Emma only allowed herself to think about in unholy times of the night, or the no that could hopefully allow Emma to move on, it scared her more than she wanted it.

This was  _ Regina  _ they were talking about. The woman Emma was ready to sacrifice everything for, the mother of her son, the only person that understood Emma in desperate times, her best friend, and a person Emma wouldn’t want to live without.  

As much as Emma tried to hold it together and tell herself it would be okay -  _ hey, even a ‘no’ it’s fine, at least it’ll be some closure _ -, she was lying to herself. 

She knew that, even if she would do just about anything to keep Regina in her life and being friends with her had been one of the best parts of Emma’s life so far, now that Emma knew what it felt like to be  _ more _ , she couldn’t go back. 

She couldn’t imagine going back to only hugging to say goodbye, when she knew what it was like to fall asleep holding Regina. She couldn’t keep holding on to  _ that  _ look Regina had just for her, when she finally knew what it was like to see Regina look at her with the same love Emma felt for her. 

She had and she would honour whatever Regina chose, but Emma’s heart died a little just at the thought. She wasn’t sure how she would handle the  _ actual _ conversation.

Maybe she didn’t want an answer after all.

Emma sighed and Snow grumbled next to her. 

She needed to get out of here.

Emma stood up and slowly made her away to the bedroom door, cursing under her breath everytime the wooden floor creaked. She repeated the process until she reached the front door, walking down the stairs about two miles per hour to make sure she wouldn’t wake anyone up. 

The second she stepped outside, the night breeze greeted her with a comforting cold. Her eyelids felt heavy, as did her arms and legs, and even her thoughts felt like they were too much to process. But she couldn’t sleep, so the next best thing was slumping on the sidewalk, looking at a deserted Storybrooke, and sighing her frustrations out.

Emma entered a sort of trance, somewhere between awake and asleep, and the only thing she felt was the cold on her skin and her hands supporting her head, until a soft hand on her shoulder startled her.

When she looked up, Regina was sitting next to her, her arms brushing on Emma’s.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Emma explained.

“Neither could I.” Regina smiled apologetically, like she knew the reason why Emma couldn’t rest.

And she really did. 

Emma sighed and looked away, too tired to keep up with the looks and light touches they would usually go for in a situation like this, when there is just the two of them. 

“What’s bothering you, Emma?” Regina asked softly, like trying not to upset her more. All Emma could do was look at Regina and shake her head, while Regina eyed her curiously. “No as in you don’t want to tell me, or no as in you don’t know where to start?”

“No, as in, I can’t get myself to say it.”

Regina seemed to understand, and fell silent too. At least for a while.

“I didn’t get the chance to thank you earlier.” She said, once Emma had cooled down a little more. “So thank you, for doing all of that for me.”

Emma shrugged. “It’s okay. I know you would do the same.” 

“Yes, I would.” Regina’s tender smile was back on her lips.

“So you remember everything?” Emma asked, partly to distract herself from Regina’s lips. 

Her gaze landed on her pajama bottoms and decided it was safer to just leave it there for a while. 

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you think the other Emmas remember too?”

“Possibly. It would make sense, I think for them it was more or less like my experience.”

“I hope so.”

“Me too.” Regina sighed, and Emma knew Regina was worrying about the other Reginas’ happiness as much as she was.

“I hate not knowing what’s going to happen.” Emma said, or more like whispered to herself.

“Do you mean with them or with us?” Regina replied, and the bluntness surprised Emma a little.

Up until then, they had made a fantastic job at pretending that they weren’t both dying to address the elephant in the room.

When Emma looked at Regina, there was nothing but curiosity in the brunette’s eyes. And maybe a little hope that made Emma’s own hopes rise again.

“Both.”

Regina sighed. “To them… I don’t think we’ll ever know. Maybe we can ask Rumple, but I doubt he can tell us much more.” Emma knew that was the case, and still hated to hear it. “And concerning us… I guess that’s for us to decide.”

Emma’s heart was beating strangely close to her throat and air seemed to be lacking in her lungs. Regina seemed to be keeping herself together, but Emma could tell she was just as hesitant by the look in her eyes. 

Emma swallowed hard. This was not the moment to be shy.

“Do you think we could work?” Emma asked. 

Their eyes met and there was no turning back from this conversation. 

“Why wouldn’t we?”

Emma sighed. “We have so much history, Regina. It has taken us  _ so long _ and so much energy to get here, to a place where we can actually make it  _ work _ . Do you think it’s worth taking the risk?”

“I don’t know.” Regina whispered and looked away, so Emma wouldn’t see her tear up.

“Regina…” Emma sighed, “talk to me.”

“There’s not much to say.” Regina shrugged. “It boils down to whether or not we want this, and you seem rather hesitant.” Regina looked frustrated, like everything was  _ so easy _ and Emma was making it hard for her own entertainment. Maybe Emma was. Not for fun, but because that was her biggest talent. Making things harder than they should be. “So I don’t know, what do you want me to say?”

“I just want to know what you  _ want _ .” Emma refused to look away, sensing the situation was getting out of hand. She couldn’t let it end like this. Not now.

“I  _ want _ this, Emma.” 

It hit Emma like winter night breeze. All at once, reaching every one of her bones and waking Emma up in less than a second. 

Regina looked desperate now, and frustrated. Like she was trying to let Emma see something she was just too distracted to notice. “Don’t you see? I  _ want _ this, and I thought you wanted the same thing.” Her voice dimmed at the last part, like she had just caught herself being a fool.

“You know I do.” Emma whispered. 

“Then why don’t you accept it? What’s stopping you?”

“Because nothing has ever been easy! I’m just not used to things going my way. So I can’t really believe that… this is it. I’ve wanted this for so long, it seems almost impossible that it’ll happen so… easily. Nothing ever has been easy between both of us.” Emma voice was shaking and for a second she was sure she would break down.

But then Regina looked at her it seemed like maybe it could work out after all. 

“Maybe because we weren’t being honest all this time.” She said. “Maybe that’s why it was always so hard to find a place for us. We were being cowards and refused to see what was right there the whole time. Can’t say I’m braver than you when it comes to things like this, but it is what I want.” 

Regina looked just as tired as Emma felt. Her eyes were red, maybe because of tears gathering there or because of the lack of sleep, and the expression on her face made Emma want to hug her to keep her together. But she refused to look away, looking at Emma until the blonde sighed.

“Me too, Regina. I guess I’m just overwhelmed by all of this.” Emma said. “I have been wanting this for  _ years _ , and… I finally got to see what it would like. But it all felt like a dream. I loved it but it wasn’t really you. I never really thought I’d get to have this with you. Like,  _ actually you _ . I mean, it’s not that they weren’t you. I love every version of you it’s just-”

Regina chuckled. “It’s okay, I get it.” She smiled. “Well, this is our chance to have that.”

“Just like that? There’s no monster to kill, or like curse to break first?” Emma asked, “Seems unrealistic.”

Regina chuckled. “I think we’ve waited long enough, and done both things already, don’t you think?”

“Yeah… we have.” Emma finally allowed herself to smile, looking at Regina and the softness that only finds its place when it’s dark and it’s only the two of them. 

Regina scooted closer to Emma, and placed her head at the crook of the blonde’s neck, sighing.  “It took me a while to get here, to a good place in life, but I’m so glad everything happened how it happened and you ended up in my life.”

“Me too.” She placed her hand softly on Regina’s cheek, closing her eyes and feeling the brunette’s steady breath on her chest. “Don’t you think it’s time to go back inside?” Emma asked after a few moments of quiet.

Regina stood up first, looking so tired Emma wondered how she would get all the way to the bed, and helped Emma up. 

Emma held on to her hand, just enjoying the familiar gesture and the warmth it always brought her. Regina smiled tiredly and rested her forehead on Emma’s.

“We should really get back inside.” She whispered, but not moving.

“I know. But can I have a kiss first?” Emma asked just as softly.

Regina chuckled again, and nodded, pulling away just enough to look at Emma. “Yes, please.” 

Emma smiled and didn’t think twice before placing her hand on Regina’s cheek again, sending tingles all over her, even if the gesture had become so familiar between them. Regina leaned on Emma’s hand, sighing softly and seeming pretty content. Emma really was mesmerized by the sight. 

When Regina opened her eyes again, Emma was already close enough to feel her breath running down her chest, hovering over her lips, waiting for Regina. 

It was amazing to finally kiss her and not fear what was going to happen afterwards. To finally kiss Regina and get to enjoy it, instead waking up disoriented in a new place. And even more  amazing was how, regardless of how many times they did this, Emma was just as pleasantly surprised by Regina’s soft lips and how  _ right  _ this felt.

Emma sighed into the kiss, when Regina’s fingers found a lock of her hair. “Let’s continue this inside, I’m freezing.” 

Regina nodded, and made her way back into the apartment, holding Emma’s hand tightly, like making sure the blonde wouldn’t disappear. 

When they stepped inside, David was still on the sofa and had barely moved at all. Snow was now by Henry’s side, fast asleep like she hadn't woken up and changed places. 

_ Of course _ Snow would do that. 

Emma smiled, and Regina smiled too, probably too tired to realize she had actually just smiled at Snow and not rolled her eyes for the first time.

They walked upstairs, making sure not to wake anyone up  _ again _ , and Emma softly closed the door behind her before slumping on the bed again.

Regina scooted closer, a happy sigh escaping her lips as she curled up next to Emma. Pulling Regina closer, Emma kissed her forehead. It was the last thing she did before falling asleep.

 

They got a few more hours of sleep before the smell of pancakes and freshly done coffee woke them up. They didn’t say much before going downstairs, or while everyone eyed them with both curiosity and expectation. Nobody mentioned the kiss, the  _ True Love’s kiss _ , nobody mentioned the looks they shared throughout breakfast or the totally unnecessary, but very important touches here and there. 

Breakfast was mostly Snow eyeing Emma like she was dying to ask about it, David barely noticing, and Henry looking very happy with life. 

“We need to go see Rumple today. So we’ll be out for for a couple of hours.” Emma announced when the table was cleaned and they were ready to go. 

She wasn’t exactly dying to see Gold, starting to dread his part of the deal, actually, but it had to be done and it was better sooner rather than later.

“Well, well, isn’t it the new happy couple?” Gold smiled as soon as they opened the door of his old little store.

“We  have questions.” Emma said.

“Bet you do.” He grinned. Emma grumbled something under her breath. “And  _ I  _ have my part of the deal to claim.”

“Before you do. We have questions.” Regina pressed.

“Yes, yes, your soul is now complete. And yes, the other Reginas remember.” He said, before they could even ask. He rolled his eyes. 

“How did you know what we were going to asks?”

“Perks of being the dark one, I guess. You see it all.”

Regina sighed. “Fine. What do you want from us?”

“It’s quite simple.” He shrugged and went to the little room at the back of the store, before returning with a small bottle in his hand. “I just need a single hair from both of you.”

“Like my parents?” Emma asked, surprised.

Gold nodded. Regina and Emma stared at each other.

“You knew all along, didn’t you?” 

“Suspected it. Then, everything happened and I saw my chance, so I took it.” He shrugged again. “And I’m glad I did. Nothing more powerful than True Love, especially if it comes from the two of you. The Saviour, product of True Love herself, and the Evil Queen.” He said, sounding genuinely impressed.

“So that’s it? Just a hair?” Emma asked. He nodded. “What’s the catch, Gold? What are you going to do with it?”

“None of your business.”

“Except it is. We can't have you around destroying everything at our expense.” Regina said.

“Family matters.” He groaned.

Regina crossed her arms, and Gold sighed.

“I want to find a realm where Neal is… is still alive. I want another chance with him.” He replied. “Happy?” 

Emma looked at Regina for confirmation, she was never really sure when to trust Gold, but after Regina nodded, she did, too. 

“I needed to see if the True Love potion would work to get to a loved one in another realm. And I needed something powerful.” He looked at Emma. “When the opportunity presented itself, well… I killed two birds with one stone.”

Regina sighed. “Fine. But if I see you causing trouble, a fireball is going to meet your ass, Gold.”

“Thought so.” He replied, and stretched his hand to claim his part of the deal. 

A dark hair and a blonde hair intertwined the second he put them in a small jar, glowing red and white. 

With one last suspicious look at him, they left the store, happy to leave all of that behind as well.

 

“Henry, please set the table.” Regina ordered from the kitchen, as Emma helped her serve dinner on three plates. “Are you sure your parents are okay with this?”

“Yeah, they understand. Besides, we spent basically the whole day with them. And I’ll see them tomorrow.”

“Okay. I feel like I stole you. Not that I care what they think, I just don’t think having your parents against me from day one is good for us.”

“It’s okay. You already stole the most important part, anyway, and they seemed fine with that.” Emma shrugged and Regina raised a questioning eyebrow. Emma made her closest attempt of a wink, “my heart.” 

And Regina rolled her eyes, but Emma saw a smile form on her lips before she turned away.

“This is nice…” Regina commented when they sat at the table, not their first family dinner, but it was the first as an actual,  _ official _ family. 

Henry nodded. “Hopefully the first of many.” He said, trying to sound innocent but the unspoken question hung in the air.

Emma and Regina shared a look. They haven’t talked to him about it yet, it had only been a day after all. They were settling back into their routine and it was probably not the moment to make big decisions. But the decision,  _ this  _ decision, was already made. They hadn’t really spoken about it yet, probably a conversation they would eventually have, but there was no doubt this new arrangement was here to stay. 

Regina softly put her hand on their son’s and smiled. “It is, Henry. First of many.” 

 

That night, when they went to bed, Emma walked passed the spare bedroom, the room she used to sleep at whenever she stayed over, and walked into Regina’s, hand in hand with the brunette. As they fell asleep, curled against each other, fingers in blonde curls making Emma sigh happily, Emma silently thanked everything, even the most difficult parts, that lead them here.


	9. Epilogue

“Henry... where are you going?” Regina sighed, walking behind Henry, just as confused as Emma. But then they saw it. “Is that the author’s house? Henry? What are we doing here?”

“I told you. I have something to show you.” He kept walking like he had been here a thousand times, and it hadn’t been an unofficially banned corner of Storybrooke for a couple of years. 

Regina looked at Emma for some answers, but the blonde just shrugged and continued walking behind Henry.

It had already been a couple of weeks since everything went down, and they were finally starting to settled back into their routine. But that morning, Henry insisted it was time he showed them what he had been up to during the time they were gone. He said they were ‘well rested enough, and probably wanted to see it.’

So Regina and Emma agreed to follow him, and ended up walking into the author’s house for the first time in years. 

Emma briefly checked on Regina to see if the house brought back any unpleasant, possibly painful memories, but she just seemed confused. So Emma kept on walking quietly.

“Henry, did you come here by yourself?” Regina asked, disapproving look already forming on her face.

“Yes, I thought maybe I could find something,  _ anything _ , to help you guys, or at least understand the situation. And I  _ did _ .” He said, once they walked into the familiar library. 

He approached the table in the middle of the room, where two somewhat familiar books laid on top.

“Henry, is that-?” Emma pointed at the fairytale books on the table. 

Like all the other books around them, they were larger than normal books and the cover was in leather with ‘Once Upon A Time’ written in large golden letters in the middle of the page. 

Henry stepped between the couple and the books, and smiled.

“It took me a couple of days to find these. I spent the first couple of days kind of confused and worried, so I didn’t accomplish much. Gold didn’t tell me anything,” Regina’s expression went from sorry for her son to disapproving in a heartbeat. Henry continued anyways, “so I decided to look in the library, but didn’t find anything because I didn’t really know what I was looking for in the first place. So I roamed the town for a good day, thinking and just… not knowing what to do. And I ended up here by accident. One of the windows on the side was smashed and I got in. When I came into the library, these were already on the table, like waiting for me.”

Henry stepped away so Emma and Regina could approach the books now that he had done his introduction. Emma was the first to touch the cover and open the book. Contrary to all the other books in the room, this one  _ actually _ had a story in it. And it didn’t start like the one Emma had grown so familiar with these last six years.

“What is this? Did you write them?” Emma looked back at Henry, confused.

“Nope, they were here, already written when I arrived.” Henry said, “Well, partially written. It had a couple of pages written, but the story kept going as time passed. Everyday, when I came back, there were new pages written.”

When Emma turned the page and saw the familiar soft face of younger Regina, long dark hair in a braid and the light blue gown, she knew what this book would be about. 

“Henry, is this about our time in the other realms?” Emma asked, already starting to look through the next page.

“Exactly.” Henry said, laying his hand on the pages so Emma would stop turning them. “I read them everyday, as new pages appeared. It helped me feel like you guys were with me, even while you were away. Then I understood that it was  _ actually  _ you, as in this realm’s Emma and not just a random Emma, and that’s how I knew you were okay. It followed your story over there, and it starts with the moment Emma wakes up in the realm. I stopped coming for a couple of days after you came back, but I came to check yesterday, and the book is finally complete. It ends with, what I assume, is your happy ending in those realms. So I thought you’d like to see that.” 

Regina is too surprised to speak, looking at the books in awe, finally getting to know whether or not their other versions got to stay together was a huge relief for both of them.

“So you followed our stories here the whole time?” Emma asked.

“Yes.” Henry smiled. “And now I wanted you to see it, too. So I’ll leave you guys to it.” He hugged both his moms before either of them could protest or ask more questions. “I already read it once, I don’t need to read it again. It’s your moment.” He walked back to the doorway and turned at the last second. “I’m glad you guys are back.”

And then Henry left.

Regina turned to Emma and sighed. “I have to admit I’m a little nervous about this.” 

“Why?”

“Because I’m afraid it’ll be a just-slightly-different tragic story.” 

Emma took her hand and pulled her closer, laying a soft kiss on her forehead. “Relax. Didn’t you see the kid? He had a smile from ear to ear, I don’t think he would still be smiling if it wasn’t happy. I don’t think we would’ve brought us all the way here for that, in fact.”

Regina chuckled. “I suppose.”

“So, what do you say… do you want to open these?” Emma gestured to the books that had been closed again.

“Okay, go ahead.” 

Emma took the book she was eyeing minutes earlier and opened it again.

‘ _ Once upon a time, in the heart of the most powerful empire, a young lady was just waking up, unaware her life was about to change drastically, thanks to the most unexpected person. _ ’ 

A badly drawn picture of Emma in the room she had woken up in, what now feels like months ago, covered the next page. 

The next page showed the beautiful gardens all over the house Emma had walked by that afternoon, and then: ‘ _ Regina came into view, claiming the entirety of Emma’s attention in that moment. She looked beautiful. And all Emma could do was stare, and pretend the smallest touch from Regina didn’t send tingles all over her body when Emma finally stood to greet her. _ ’

“Oh, there you are…” Emma smiled when the drawing of Regina entering the dining room was revealed on the next page.

They slowly turned the pages, taking in the images and reading a story they both remembered, but still wanted to see one last time. Quickly enough they reached Lupercalia with all its decoration and festivities, and then a drawing of Cora they skipped very quickly, one of the nights they shared on their way to the Nolan’s summer house, and finally - the True Love’s kiss.

“Do you think she,  _ that Emma _ , remembered everything that happened?” Regina asked, before they turned the page again.

“I don’t know. But I really hope so.” 

They finally turned the page to see what had happened after the kiss. 

 

_ They both felt the magic rush through their bodies and pulled apart just enough to look at each other, surprised.  _

_ “Was that… was that a True Love’s kiss?” Regina asked, looking around like she was looking for the ray of light. _

_ “I think so.” Emma whispered.  _

_ She kept looking at Regina in awe, as the brunette looked around. When Regina finally realised Emma was staring, she asked: _

_ “What’s the matter?”  _

_ “She’s gone.” Was all Emma said. _

_ “Who’s ‘she’?” Emma ran her hand over her face softly, making sure it was real and this was really her. Slowly, understanding settle in Regina’s eyes. “She… the  _ other  _ Emma?” Emma nodded. “So that means… you’re this realm’s Emma…  _ my  _ Emma?” Emma nodded again. Regina didn’t seem too convinced. “What were you doing when we first met?” She asked, just to make sure. _

_ “I was running around the garden, being chased by Ruby, and ran into you.” _

_ “Oh my god…” Regina put her hand softly on Emma’s cheek and stared in awe, this time directly into Emma’s eyes. “It is you.”  _

_ “Yes, it is.” Emma chuckled. _

_ “Where had you been? I don’t understand how this all worked. Do you- Do you remember what happened while she was here?” Regina asked when the thought of Emma possibly not knowing what had happened between them, the moments and the tenderness they shared, crossed her mind. _

_ “I’m not sure. I think… I think I was asleep? It all felt like a dream. I do remember everything, and it was like I was here but at the same time I wasn’t. I could only watch and witness what was happening, but I couldn’t make any decision or take control. It was like a dream.” Emma explained, pulling Regina closer. “But I do remember.” _

_ Regina’s hand was still on Emma’s cheek, their faces still so close. _

_ “So… what now?” Regina whispered. _

_ “What now?” Emma gently placed her hands on either side of Regina’s face to make sure the brunette was looking at her. “We follow through with the plan.”  _

_ “What plan?” _

_ “The house by the beach and the dog.” _

_ Relief settled in Regina’s eyes and she sighed, resting her forehead on Emma’s lips, where Emma softly placed a kiss. _

_ “So far we only have the house by the beach. We still need to find that dog.”  _

_ They were kissing again before Emma could say anything else, a sigh of contentment escaping Emm’s lips a as she gave into the kiss again, but this time, this Emma, would get to stay and enjoy the rest of the story. _

_ “So you’re okay with this?” Regina asked when they pulled back. _

_ “Okay with what?” _

_ “All of this.” Regina looked at her hand on Emma’s cheek, and gestured to the one tangled in Emma’s blonde curls. “All the kissing and the… the new advancement.”  _

_ Emma smiled. “A hundred percent.”  _

_ “Really?” Regina smiled. _

_ “Yes, I had been wanting to do this for the last decade, actually.” Emma said, and leaned in to kiss Regina again, now that she finally could. _

 

“So the other Emmas experienced all the same way you did?” Emma asked, turning the page to the drawing of both of them kissing. 

“Like a dream…” Regina confirmed.

They scanned the text in the next page, Regina and Emma going back inside. Regina and Emma wondering what would happen to this mysterious Emma from another realm, and if she would be able to save her Regina. 

Henry Sr, David and Snow visiting the house. A picture of Cora in prison (David managed to get her locked up for use of dark magic).

Then, a drawing of a puppy at the beach. Regina and Emma finding it and adopting it. Regina and Emma living together, and doing everything they promised each other they would do. 

“I’m so glad they were okay.” Emma whispered when she closed the book, pleased with what she had just read.

“Yeah, me too.” Regina smiled, and then her eyes drifted to the other book on the table. 

The Evil Queen realm. She was probably dreading to know whether or not her evil counterpart had been as lucky. 

Emma reached for her hand and gently squeezed.

“It’ll be okay.” 

They opened the next book together, and Emma pulled Regina closer when they saw the first drawing of Emma waking up in the tower. 

When they got to the page of the True Love’s kiss, they braced themselves for what was coming before turning the page again. 

But a picture of Emma smiling at Regina, like she was relieved to see her, and Regina smiling at Emma in disbelief, made both Regina and Emma sigh. 

Smiles were a good sign, right?

 

_ “You’re smiling.” Regina whispered once the kiss was over. “Did it work?” _

_ “I think so.” Emma said. _

_ “What does it mean now?” Regina questioned, there’s no guideline about how to act in this type of situations.  _

_ “Now there’s me.” Emma smiled. “I don’t know what happened to the other Emma. I think she went back home.” _

_ “You know about the other Emma? You were conscious this whole time?” Regina asked, “does that mean… you remember? You know about the time she was here?” _

_ “Yes, I was here the whole time too. We were both here, but, to me, it was all like a dream. I watched and felt and lived everything that happened, but I wasn’t actively doing anything. I was just… there, watching.” _

_ “So, everything we said to each other, everything we lived…” Regina stopped. “You remember everything?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “And everything before you came to my palace?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “How come you’re not scared? Or angry? Or running away from me?” _

_ “Because I got to know you, even if it wasn’t exactly  _ my  _ wish at first, I want this now, too. I got to know you better these last few months. I know things aren’t exactly black and white… so I guess I don’t see you as the evil woman of my childhood anymore. And now…  well, now I just know I want to stay with you. I’ve come to love falling asleep next to you and holding your hand, and just being around you. Can’t really do all of that if I run away.”  _

_ Regina smiled. “Yes, I guess you can not.”  _

_ Emma’s hand found its way back on Regina’s cheek and she caressed her softly.  _

_ “What?” Regina asked when Emma stared at her for a moment. _

_ “I just really want to kiss you again.” _

_ Smiling, Regina leaned closer to Emma, lips hovering oh so close to Emma’s. “Do it.” _

_ And they kissed again, finally not having to worry about being separated after the kiss by True Love magic. Finally getting to  _ really _ feel the butterflies in their stomachs.  _

_ “So what now?” Regina asked once they parted, panting a little. _

_ “Now? I don’t know. What do you want to do my Queen? Get lunch?” Emma smirked. _

_ Regina rolled her eyes. “What now, as in, will you stay or go back to your parent’s kingdom?” _

_ “Do you want me to stay?” _

_ “It’s up to you.” _

_ “I’m asking for your opinion.” _

_ “Of course I want you to stay, Emma. But that first time, it wasn’t really you who chose to stay. You just said you didn’t really have a say in it, so I’m giving you the choice again.”  _

_ “Of course I want to stay.” Emma smirked again, but the smirk soon morphed into a smile when Regina’s relief was more obvious. “You still are, and will always be, my choice.” _

_ Regina kissed her again. _

 

“Well, I’m glad these two figured it out as well.” Emma commented, turning the page.

An image of Regina and Emma walking through the gardens the next time it snowed. Finally kissing under the snow, and pretty much everywhere else in the castle.

“Yeah… me too.” Regina whispered, and when Emma looked at her, she smiled. “I was scared for her.”

“I know.” Emma replied, brushing her thumb on Regina’s hand. 

“I always thought that, as long as I had that evil in me, it would be always be the same, tragic story. But I’m glad it isn’t.” 

“You deserve love, even your darkest parts.” Regina smiled, and Emma did, too. “I really wanted you to know that before you went through with it, you know?” Emma continued, turning the page again. “I didn’t want you to think I didn’t support your decision, because I did. Always will support you. But I didn’t like the idea of missing a part of you…” 

“I know.” Was all Regina said, but her eyes, as always, said a thousand more things that made Emma feel like she was doing and saying the right thing. 

“So I wasn’t as worried about the Queen. You will always find love, doesn’t matter how dark your life is, or what realm it is. I mean, as long as there is an Emma, there is a place for a Regina in her heart.” Emma smiled, and Regina did too, after rolling her eyes slightly at the corniness. 

The story of the Queen and that realm’s Emma was longer than the previous book. There were many more pictures of the Queen and Emma on her bed, talking. Emma telling Regina about her childhood, Regina telling all the things she didn’t have time to tell Emma before she had to get back to Storybrooke. Regina and Emma in front of the fireplace of one of the million rooms in the castle. The Queen and Emma making a snowman, something that made both Emma and Regina chuckled when they read it.

Regina and Emma enjoying the first spring days, walking around the garden. Emma and Regina always together. Regina’s wardrobe becoming slightly less dark, and her features slightly less sharp, starting to look more like Regina did in Storybrooke. Still regal, still imposing, but so much more human, so much more  _ relaxed _ .

Then, the first time Emma saw her parents again. The tense conversation, but the promise of reconciliation. Leo and Emma’s reunion. All their story told in pictures.

Then, Emma and Regina in a carriage, coming back from an important meeting at the far end of Regina’s kingdom. The next page was covered with the picture of Regina’s bedroom, only this time, it was full of rose petals. 

 

_ A trail of white rose petals led Emma back into their room. She glanced back at Regina, confused, but the brunette only smiled and gestured for Emma to keep walking.  _

_ When Emma reached the bedroom, the bed was full of them, too. In the middle of the white petal circle was a ‘so?’ written in red petals.  _

_ So what? _

_ Emma turned around just in time to see Regina take a ring out of the pocket of her coat, and smile at Emma. _

_ “Regina…?” Emma whispered, trying to understand the scene. _

_ “Emma, my darling, you’re the only person I want to see every morning when I wake up and the last person I see when I fall asleep everyday. I love you, and I know that love is true in every realm where you and I meet.” She reached for Emma’s hand and pressed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. “I would love nothing more than getting to do so every day for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?” _

_ Emma beamed, and leaned in to press a kiss on Regina’s lips before nodding multiple times. “Yes.” _

_ Emma let go of Regina’s hand and held her close for a few moments. _

_ “Queen Emma…” Regina said when they let go of the hug, like testing the sound of it. “I like it. Queen Regina and Queen Emma.” _

_ “Sounds nice.” Emma smiled. “The best Queens this kingdom has ever seen.” _

_ Regina nodded. “And I can finally have someone to call my family.”  _

_ Emma pressed another soft kiss on Regina’s lips. “Yes, you do now. And… maybe we can add someone else later on? This kingdom needs a heir.” _

_ Regina chuckled. “Yes, I guess we’ll have to adopt our own little Henry.” _

 

The image of Regina and Emma at the altar took the whole page after. The wedding was a rather simple wedding for a Queen, or  _ Queens _ . All the people that needed to be there, nobles and ambassadors from other kingdoms, Emma’s family, and little Leo. The wedding was very private. Intimate, like Regina and Emma had wanted it.

And, soon enough, a little baby arrived, only a couple of pages after. They had found him in a village, during one of Regina and Emma’s tours around the kingdom to make sure everything was working just fine. 

‘ _ The Queens took in the little boy as their own, and named him Henry. Never had a child known so much love, and the little boy grew up to be a fair leader, just like his mothers. _ ’

Emma closed the book, feeling of satisfied and happy after finally knowing what would happen to the people she left behind.

“Will you do that when you propose to me?” Emma teased, turning back to Regina. “‘Cause I might just say yes already.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Regina scoffed, and for a second Emma wondered if she hadn’t heard the jocking tone in Emma’s voice. Emma knew Regina wasn’t the biggest fan of marriage, and she didn’t mind, she was joking anyway and- “I’m not that cheesy.” Regina continued, a teasing look on her face too.

Emma laughed, in part of relief. “Are you sure? You sound like the kind of person that would totally be corny in situations like that.” 

This time, Regina stared directly at Emma’s eyes with the loving look that made Emma feel on top of the world. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” 

Emma’s smile got bigger, and Regina pressed a kiss on her cheek, before they closed the books again and went to find their son.

They needed to go back home soon, anyway. After all, even if Emma hadn’t brought many things with her, those boxes weren’t going to get unpacked on their own.

 


End file.
